Time Travel – Visiting My Old Ship (USS Theodore Roosevelt CVN-71)

Well, I decided to take a trip down memory lane by going to Norfolk/Virginia Beach. 25 years ago, I was stationed there on board the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). I was 20 years old, when I went on board for the first time. I read, online, that it was going to move to the west coast, soon. I had been wanting to go to the beach, so I decided to go there. See her one last time and relax on the beach.

As I live in North Carolina, it’s not too far of a drive to get there.

Well, we arrived Thursday night at Virginia Beach and checked in. Our tour was Friday at 1400 (2PM for you civilians). We got to the base relatively close to the tour time, thanks to a lot of traffic and taking too long for lunch (we had Turkish cuisine at Pasha Mezze in Norfolk). We arrived at the base, got our base pass, and proceeded to the pier. I was kind of excited, by this point. Just seeing the base, again, made me feel like I was 21 years old, again. We drove down the road that contained the piers until we reached the Roosevelt. Seeing her tied up to the pier brought back even more memories. I was curious as to what memories would be triggered…

We got out, walked to the pier, and met up with the pier gate guards. I told them we were there for a tour. Of course, no one was aware of it… That triggered another memory, the lack of communication (I remember things like that happening, back in the old days). I started getting anxious. We had driven a long way, for this. But no problem, a representative from the ship came out to greet us and escorted us on board. I was surprised at the uniform he was wearing. It looked like an Army camouflage uniform, but it was blue. I asked him about it and he said it replaced the old dungarees that we used to wear. Actually, another uniform replaced i he dungarees and this one replaced that one. It sure looked a lot better, anyway…

New/Old Working Uniforms

The Roosevelt, sitting on the pier.

Walking up the pier, I looked up to the left and saw Station 21, my first work area. It was there that I got to know Kyle Parsons (from Louisiana), my buddy that I still keep in touch with, to this day. We would report for morning muster, go eat chow, then go to Station 21 and do as little as possible. It is an un-rep station. Un-rep is short for Underway Replenishment. A supply ship would pull alongside ours, while at sea, shoot out lines to connect with, and move supplies and fuel between the two ships. Well, we didn’t do un-reps frequently, so the station was un-used the majority of the time. Our job was simply to keep it clean, just in case it was needed (we never did use it, when I was there). Well, there is only so much you can clean, so we would just goof off. I believe the term for it was “skating.”

“Skating” Definition

We got to the on ramp to the ship, went up it, and got to the hangar deck. Another memory triggered was the sailors departing had to stop and salute, prior to going off the ship. I had forgotten that…

Entrance to the ship.

The hangar bay looked essentially the same as I remembered it. They were doing work on it, so machinery was around, here and there. Our first stop was the flight deck ops room. Oddly enough, I had never been in there, at all. But I guess I wouldn’t have, as I was in Deck department. Anyhow, they guy inside explained to us how flight deck operations took place. He showed us this little table top that looked like the flight deck. There were mock planes sitting on it. He told us they used to use this for operations, but used computers, now. I guess they used the old board-game looking table, when I was there.

The Old Flight Deck Ops Board

We left flight deck ops and headed upwards, towards the bridge. One of the places that I knew, rather well. We got up to the tenth level and went in the door. This was one of those moments that I knew would happen. As the door opened, I really felt like I was going in to start my watch. Out at sea, we did four-hour watches around the clock. Well, the familiar feeling dissipated a little, when I saw the helm (for steering the ship) and lee helm (for controlling the speed). The helm & lee helm I knew was gone. Standing in its place was this video game. The wheel I remembered was gone. There was this small wheel, like a race car or something, where my familiar ships wheel used to be. There was this young guy up there on watch, I guess (I remember the bridge being empty, in port). He began to tell us about things on the bridge, until our guide told him I was stationed here, 25 years ago (it was surreal, to me, being the guy that was there “25 years ago.”). we, then just started talking about how things were and how they are, now.

I started feeling like they liked talking to someone who had been on board, before, in that different time. He talked of how “professional” the navy is, nowadays. He said his grandfather joked about the “Old Navy” and this “New Navy.” I told them people said the same thing, when I was in. so my “New Navy” is the “Old Navy,” now… They don’t even use profanity, according to these guys. That kind of floored me, as when I was in, profanity was as commonly spoken as “the” or “and.” It was nothing to get cursed out by your superiors. I told them a couple of stories of my own. One was how I snapped a picture of myself driving the ship. I was young, stupid , and didn’t know the flash from my camera would give away our position. When the guy snapped the picture, the officers on watch started going nuts. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!?!” I quietly dropped the camera back in my pocket and acted like I had no idea what was happening. After hearing this, they said I should take a picture at the helm, again. A “then and now” sort of thing.

Then & Now

We went downstairs, afterwards, to the Theodore Roosevelt museum. A small room with some of his personal items and a bust of the man, himself. I want to say I remembered this, but I’m not sure. The guide for this was a woman. WHAT?!?!?! Yeah, I knew they were on board, now, but it was still strange to see them walking around. When I was on board, the only women we ever saw was either on TV or in port, somewhere. But now, the ship is 60% women. Not a bad thing, mind you. Just different from what I remembered.

Women on board?

After leaving the museum, we were getting to the end of the “official” tour. However, as I was an ex-TR crew member, he asked if I wanted to go see anything out of the ordinary. I had really wanted to see the berthing area I lived in. So we walked forward to the bow of the ship. We went up to the forecastle (called the fo’ksul). We got there and it looked almost the same. The only thing different were paintings on the bulkhead (wall) and deck (floor). Everything else was the same, as far as I could tell. I liked the paintings, but I liked more, the fact that it was allowed. A painting of Popeye was on the bulkhead and Poseidon on the deck (I think it was Poseidon).

The fo’ksul and my daughter in front of Popeye…

Poseidon? Neptune?

Well, that concluded the “official” tour. I only wanted to see a couple of other places. So, we went down to my old berthing (living quarters). This was the biggest thing to disappoint me. I know things change, but I really thought it would look exactly the same. Well, it’s nothing like I remembered it. Gone are the open areas and they are replaced with bulkheads in a maze-like setting. I remember walking up the ladder and seeing the area open, with two tables that usually had guys sitting there, playing cards. Now, it’s more closed off. I guess that’s a good thing, for them. It just sucked, for me. I guess I’m too nostalgic and sentimental about things like this. I skulked around for a minute or two, looking for anything familiar.

2nd Division Berthing – 1989

2nd Division Berthing – 2014

2nd Division Berthing – 2014

 

Nothing…

So, I snapped a couple of pics of the “new” berthing area and left. I wanted to visit the ships store and get some TR memorabilia, but the guide told me that a. it’s closed and b. even if it were open, I couldn’t buy anything. See, the Navy uses “cash cards,” now. They look like credit cards, but have these chips in them. The store does not accept cash OR credit card. So, I was screwed. So, we departed the ship. I still wanted to get some kind of souvenir, so we headed to the base commissary. I thought to myself “Fine, I’ll just get something, there..”

WRONG…

We walked in the commissary and got asked for ID. Something else I had forgotten… I gave up, at that point. My wife, however, reminded me there was a gift shop where we got our passes. So I drove there.

NOPE…

They were closed. I called it a day and decided that I would get something online…

What did I get from this trip? Well, for the first time in many years, I found myself missing my younger self. The young man from Rockingham, NC, that had never been away from home, before. Back in 1989, I met the ship in Marseilles, France. I got to do it all. Flew on board in a helicopter, after a scary couple of days in Naples, Italy (that is another story). I got to see France, Israel, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Monaco, and Egypt (my personal favorite port). It was an exciting time in my life. I’ve never really felt that way about high school. Only this period stirs warm and fuzzy feelings. I guess a part of me thought I would go up in that berthing area and see my old shipmates sitting there, playing cards. Just like 25 years ago. Of course, that is ridiculous. It’s a different crew, now. Now, TR is “their” ship. “Their” home. I wonder if any of them will go back for a visit, in 25 years?

Oh yeah, they no longer have to strip and wax the decks… They also have internet and Direct TV. We had TR-TV. ONE CHANNEL… Ship news and movies.