Navy Leaguers Get Rare Chance to See Carrier in Action

Sea Power, Jul 2004 by Atkinson, Peter E

It's 'Go, Go, Go' When Bakersfield Council Members Visit Carl Vinson at Sea

A group of Navy Leaguers from the Bakersfield, Calif., Council got a rare opportunity in late April to get up close and personal with one of the Navy's most advanced ships, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, as it was put through its paces at sea.

After an 11th hour call to council President Catherine Hansen offering the slots, council members Cal Emerson, Bob Curran, Al Hansen and newsletter editor Bill Hample joined a contingent of about 20 area businesspeople and civic leaders who took part in the two-day visit aboard the Carl Vinson as it sailed about 100 miles off the California coast. According to Hample, the tour was intended to provide "first-hand experience of life aboard an aircraft carrier." The trip "most certainly fulfilled that objective," and more, he said.

The group was flown to the ship aboard a C-2A cargo/passenger aircraft. After touchdown, Hample said, "It was go, go, go. There was no time to stand around and make small talk."

The Carl Vinson was being used to qualify pilots, and aircraft from ships and air stations around the West Coast made arrested landings and catapult launchings almost continuously.

"Except for early Saturday morning, they flew 'round the clock while we were there," Hample said. As the group's cabins were located below one of the ship's catapults, sleep did not come easy, despite ear plugs, until the activity finally paused after midnight.

The group had to contend with the catapult one last time, when they were launched aboard the C-2A for the flight home, an experience Hample described in the Bakersfield Council newsletter as "soul wrenching." But for the flight, group members received "Honorary Naval Aviator" certificates from Carl Vinson Commanding Officer Capt. Richard Wren and came away with a new appreciation for the controlled chaos of carrier operations.

Coastal Carolina Council Tees Up First Golf Tourney

The Coastal Carolina Council's debut golf tournament drew what President Dee Kessinger described as "a small group" of participants, but laid the groundwork for what she said promises to be a "bigger and better" tournament in the future.

A total of 37 people took part in the tournament, which was held May 22 at the Carolina Golf & Country Club, New Bern, N.C., cither as players or volunteers. The tournament raised nearly $1,500 for scholarships sponsored by the council for its four adopted local Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps programs.

"I'm really pleased with the amount of money we raised, considering this is the first year we've done this," Kessinger said. "We got some good publicity about the tournament and were able to get the name Navy League out a lot during the past month."

The council had local anchorman Wes Goforth, from WCTI-TV Channel 12, emcee the event and he gave the tournament some good play during his news broadcasts, Kessinger said. The tournament also earned coverage on the radio and in local print media.

The tournament itself featured a "lovely afternoon" of golf, Kessinger said, followed by a dinner complete with prizes donated by local businesses and sponsors. The tournament chairman was Wayne Schoden.

"With the publicity we got, the community is more aware of who we are," she said. "Next year is going to be so good."

Baltimore Sea Cadets Cited For Rescue Efforts After Water Taxi Capsizes

Eight cadets from the Baltimore Fort McHenry Division of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps and 26 Baltimore Navy Reservists were cited for valor April 17 by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Dionel Aviles for their efforts during the rescue of survivors of a water taxi accident March 6 in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

Naval Reservist and Sea Cadet Lt. Commander Art Eisenstein received the Navy-Marine Corps medal for his multiple dives into the water during the rescue mission. Sea Cadets cited during the ceremony were Lt. j.g. Patrick Sullivan, Lt. j.g. William Trovinger, Lt. j.g. Renford Smith, Ensign Jerome Stoney, Cadet Anthony Scardina, Petty Officer 2nd Class Devin Sweet and Cadet Kathleen Smith.

The Fort McHenry Division is sponsored by the Baltimore Council, from which a contingent including President Arthur Nattan, Vice Presidents Kathy Bruyere and George Hahn, and directors John Barnard and Edgar Legum were on hand to congratulate the heroes at the ceremony, according to Hahn, the council's public affairs officer.

The reservists and cadets went to the aid of passengers who were spilled into the frigid waters of the Inner Harbor when a sudden microburst thunderstorm overturned their water taxi just off Fort McHenry, and, luckily, near Naval Reserve Center Baltimore. Although three passengers drowned, 21 others were saved.

During the ceremony, the reservists and cadets were lauded for their efforts by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and accident survivor Thomas Pierce, of Vineland, N.J., who lost his wife and daughter in the disaster.

Greater Chattanooga Council Adopts USS Tennessee

Nine crewmembers from the USS Tennessee were on hand for the Greater Chattanooga, Tenn., Council's quarterly meeting April 20 when the council formally adopted the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine.