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Radar Vector |
By David Boey
Changi Naval Base, Singapore - The arrival of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group in Singapore on Feb 7 provided an opportunity for some Military Nuts to visit the United States Navy's newest Nimitz-class super carrier.
For the historically-minded, the visit had added significance as it marked the first port call in Singapore by the Ronald Reagan since her commissioning in 2003.
According to the US Navy website, the nuclear-powered carrier was escorted by USS Lake Champlain (CG 57), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruier, and USNS Rainer (T-AOE 7), an underway replenishment vessel.
The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is commanded by Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller, while Capt. Terry B. Kraft is the Reagan's Commanding Officer.
The massive carrier berthed on the seaward side of the Deep Water Pier at the Republic of Singapore Navy's Changi Naval Base and had a string of barges tethered one behind the other several hundred metres offshore to form a protective barrier against seaborne intruders.
The base is located on reclaimed land on the eastern corner of Singapore island, off Changi Airport.
According to the US Navy, the carrier is "on a routine deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism and maritime security operations".
"Singapore is our second port visit since beginning our deployment last month and one of our most important partners with many shared interests," said RADM Miller.
He added:"This visit gives us opportunity to show off the U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier as a formidable weapon in the global war against terrorism. The Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group's presence in the Western Pacific demonstrates America's commitment to fulfilling its treaty obligations and security arrangements."
Our visit, several days after the warship arrived, began with a short walk up a gangway which led to a deck edge elevator. This massive lift is one of two located forward of the carrier's island and can lift a pair of warplanes from hangar deck to the flight deck level within seconds.
The ship was berthed in the same place as the Indian Navy's carrier, INS Viraat, when the Indian flat top called at Changi Naval Base months earlier. For Milnuts who visited the Viraat, the difference in size between the conventional carrier and the American super carrier was apparent.
Some 200-plus specially invited guests were herded together in the hangar and then split into smaller groups by US Navy officers.
Among the places we visited was a special room crammed to the hilt with memorabilia related to the ship's namesake.
Items like a life-sized bronze sculpture of "the Gipper", some hand-written notes, and museum-quality photo displays of significant moments in Ronald Wilson Reagan's (1911-2004) acting and political career told visitors the life and times of the 40th President of the United States.
Another high light was a trip right to the hurricane bow of the ship, where the intricacies of anchors, anchor chains and winches was explained in loving detail.
We were surprised to learn that the brand new carrier uses hand-me-down anchors taken from the 1950s-era USS Ranger (CVA-61), a Forrestal-class carrier.
The enclosed "hurricane bow" is modelled on British Pacific Fleet armoured carriers from World War Two. These proved more resistant to Pacific storms, which often creased the forward flight decked of unarmoured carriers of the US Pacific Fleet.
Explanations on the colour codes used to measure how much anchor chain was played out (i.e. released) were hand-painted on the bulkheads (i.e. "walls").
The ride up the elevator gave the US Navy a chance to showcase how quickly it can generate naval aviation. Four deck edge lifts ring the carrier's 4.5 acre flightdeck. Though we braced ourselves for the ride up, almost all of us experienced buckled knees as the elevator shot up and emerged flush with the flight deck.
Across the pier was USS Lake Champlain - a large ship whose size was hard to appreciate while standing nearly 10 storeys up on a carrier deck.
The flight deck was a veritable Hornet's nest - crammed with the latest F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, a clutch of C-2 Greyhound carrier onboard delivery planes, E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning aircraft and Seahawks.
Small arms enthusiasts also eye-balled Marines and sailors on duty who were armed with an assortment of small arms like M-16s and M-60 GPMGs as the last ditch defence against seaborne intruders.
The island was the final stop for the group. There, were saw the "ouija board" which flight deck directors use to make sense of the mass of planes and helos (chopper is a US Army term for rotary wing aircraft) assembled on the flight deck and carrier.
Scale models of planes and helos allow officers to see at a glance where every flying machine is spotted (i.e. parked). They use different models to depict planes with wings folded and deployed, and for helos with rotors folded and readied for flight.
The trip up narrow ladders brought us up the island where we got an unblocked view of the aircraft arrayed on the flight deck.
An afternoon downpour that threatened to rain on our trip finally let fly and the shutter bugs in our group were glad they had snapped pictures before it rained buckets.
After unloading some spare change at the souvenir table, the Milnuts bade farewell to our the US Navy officers and sailors who so patiently ushered us around the ship and answered our endless list of questions.
There was no bus ride out, so we romped several hundred metres along the pier in a heavy drizzle to the main gate of the base.
We emerged at the gate looking like wet chickens, but all agreed it was an afternoon well spent.
The Milnuts members who toured USS Ronald Reagan extend their appreciation to the US Navy for hosting the visit, with special thanks to the RSN's Changi Naval Base for facilitating access to the base.
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