A Patriotic Post: Don't Tread on Me

Back in Time (BIT): Fleet Week 2010

The USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) is a “Wasp-class” amphibious assault ship. The ship's motto, "Uncommon Valor," is based on Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz's words when he spoke of Sailors and Marines who fought at Iwo Jima in World War II: “Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, uncommon valor was a common virtue.”



The USS Iwo Jima also carries a mix of 30 helicopters and 6–8 AV/ 8B Harrier I planes, my favorite. I love the Harrier because of its vertical/short takeoff and landing. You will see in the photos that I went through every inch of the Harrier, making sure that it is ready to fly.



Photo credit HERE.

Back in Time (BIT): Fleet Week 2009

New York City Fleet Week 2009 had representatives from both the U.S. military and the Canadian Navy. The ships we visited in Staten Island were the USS Vella Gulf and the Canadian Navy’s HMCS Athabaskan.



The Vella Gulf is famous because of its involvement with pirates. On February 2009, the Vella Gulf responded to a distress call from the tanker Polaris in the Gulf of Aden. The Polaris reported that pirates in a single skiff were attempting to board the tanker with ladders, though the Polaris crew was able to thwart their efforts. Upon arriving in the area, the Vella Gulf intercepted a skiff with 7 men aboard. One of the 7 Somali men is now on trail in downtown Manhattan.



We have a fondness for the Canucks and we were so pleased to see their patrol boats. The HMCS Athabaskan is not only a patrol boat but also a destroyer, protecting Canada’s sovereignty in the Atlantic Ocean and enforcing Canadian laws in its territorial sea and Exclusive Economic Zone. She has also been deployed on missions throughout the Atlantic and to the Indian Ocean; specifically, the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea after Iraq occupied Kuwait, and most recently in Haiti. When we were there, the HMCS Athabaskan was sailing out of the Stapleton Harbor back to where else? Answer: Au Canada!

Photo credits:
USS Vella Gulf
HMCS Athabaskan

Back in Time (BIT): Fleet Week 2008

Click on the photo above to see my collage masterpiece.

The USS Leyte Gulf (CG-55) is a small ship compared to the aircraft carriers but take note, it is a “Ticonderoga-class” guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. She was named in memory of the World War II Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Pacific. And it made me specially proud as I toured the ship.

The USS Leyte Gulf has a large complement of guided missiles for air defense, attack of surface targets at sea and ashore, and anti-submarine warfare (ASW). She carries two "Seahawk" LAMPS multi-purpose helicopters, whose primary mission is anti-submarine warfare (ASW).

Informally, the USS Leyte Gulf escorts aircraft carriers and is the first line of defense, protecting the aircraft carrier. This ship, is by far, the most interesting ship I have toured. The nozzles you see on the photos actually hold and release missiles. So the lecture about them was pretty intense. The ship is covered with numerous warning signs – from wearing protective gear to no leaning on the side of a missile door. Okay, sorry I slacked off for a moment.

Top photo credit.

Back in Time (BIT): Fleet Week 2007

The USS Wasp (LHD 1) is a U.S. Navy multipurpose amphibious assault ship. The primary mission of this Navy-Marine Corps amphibious warship is to support a Marine Landing Force, which may include the full range of Navy and Marine Corps helicopters, conventional landing craft, and amphibious vehicles.

Click on the photo above to enlarge it.

There are nore images for Fleet Week 2007 if you clickHERE.