Quick update:
Mark was lucky and snagged zero block as his first summer training assignment. Zero block is the shortest training block of the summer, and it also starts soon after the mids’ last final exam. As counter-intuitive as this may sound, it’s actually considered a good thing. It allows mids to get their training underway, it buys them two bonus weeks of leave over the summer, and it allows for an escape from duties during the hyper-busy commissioning week period. Plus, Mark was sent to Mayport Naval Station near Jacksonville, FL! That’s about 260 miles away, but at least it’s the same State! So we get some bonus time with him…
Those of you to be lucky enough to be considered one of Mark’s 10,067 Facebook friends have already seen the photos. But for the mere mortals amongst us, I have a few I liked:
This is the USS McInerney. This li’l frigate acted as Mark’s home away from home for two weeks.
This is what most of us would call a “really, really big gun”. The guys on the ship occasionally get to shoot this gun. They like that…
This is another gun (although it doesn’t look like one). It should never be confused with R2D2 because R2D2 couldn’t shoot 3,000 massive rounds a minute. This gun can. It’s called a “Sea Whiz”…probably because if you’re on the wrong end of it, you’re doing the second part of the phrase while the 3,000 rounds whiz past you.
Frigates fire torpedoes too. In the old days, frigates were tasked with chasing down enemy subs. Subs still quake with fear if a frigate is in the vicinity, but today frigates are used mostly for drug interdiction runs. Frigates carry one or two helicopters to help with the sub chasing, and today, the McInerney carries this nifty little guy –
That is what’s known as a “UAV” (unmanned aerial vehicle). Think of it like a big, remote control helicopter with big guns. This UAV is currently being tested before a full-blown deployment across the fleet, and Mark’s frigate is the lucky platform used for testing. There are only one of these right now, and you’re looking at it.
Here’s Mark looking somewhat nervous next to our little friend. Since it doesn’t have a pilot, I think he’s worried it might decide to shoot on its own.
So what else do we do on frigates? Well, we train! Train, train, train! Everybody has to know what to do in any given circumstance! And some of those circumstances are called “emergencies”. Emergencies are bad. Like…a fire on a ship, for example…when you’re out in the middle of the ocean, a fire is not a welcome sight. So let’s learn how to put one out, okay? How? Well, c’mon! First you gotta set one!
That’s a training area on dry land. There’s no point in setting the ship on fire, right? Now everybody learns how to put it out! Oh, and that shed in the middle? There are “simulated” guys in there waiting to be rescued before they become toast. Better hurry Mark!
So…maybe you’re thinking “so what kind of real life cool things do these frigate thingys do?” Well…check this out:
That pirate-looking steering wheel is not the one used to pilot the frigate. It’s also not the wheel off of Gilligan’s S.S. Minnow. Nope! It’s on the bridge of the McInerney, but it’s a souvenier. You see, it was taken from the largest self-propelled submersible ever captured by the US Navy, and the McInerney did the capturing. This particular submersible was a small submarine transporting 12,000 pounds of uncut cocaine. The crew of said submarine wasn’t willing to give it up so easily, but once they realized the game was up, they tried to scuttle (sink) their own ship. The crew of the McInerney suggested to the sub crew that, since said sub crew thought sinking the sub was such a good idea, perhaps they ought to sink with it. Once locked in for awhile, the crew saw the light and surrendered the sub. (Before any liberal readers think about calling the SPCA or Greenpeace, please rest assured that the crew members of the McInerney are wonderful guys that would never allow hostile drug runners to actually sink with their sub. It was a bluff, and it worked. And yes, I was honored to meet some of the crew of the McInerney, and I can personally attest to their good character.)
Training concluded on Friday, and Mark has been relaxing and eating us out of house and home since. He’s also playing a little golf, catching a little sun, and enjoying his new friend named “Aaron”. More on that in the next post.
Meanwhile, Cameron is really, really mad at us for playing golf without him. He hasn’t had a kind word for us all weekend. We see him next week when he will most certainly be straightened out.
Kristin is getting ready to graduate! But before that memorable day, she’s got a Senior Prom to attend! I have been given the first, super-secret inside look at her prom dress while it was being altered to fit her super-fit self, and I gotta tell ya’…phenomenal! Her female classmates are going to hate her!
Paris has three and a half days of school left…almost done! She’s had a stellar year! Plus, she’s been honing all four swimming strokes in preparation for joining the Sarasota Sharks. The Sharks are a very successful, very competitive swim team in our area. Competitors usually join the team at age 9. As most of you know, Paris is soon to be 7….she’s a natural! More on that as the season progresses!
In less than a week, all of us descend upon New York for our June extravaganza…we’ll be in the area for the entire month. We’re looking forward to it!