Navy Week Los Angeles 2011 (Part 2)

I mentioned in a previous post that I had gone aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln when it was in town for Navy Week back in July. At the end I mentioned that I would try to go back and tour the other ships if possible, which is precisely what I did two days later.

Having learned from the previous day, I arrived early and was able to get aboard the cruiser Princeton in less that 20 minutes (actually before the event officially opened for the day).

The tour lasted about an hour and a half, and the sailors who guided us around were extremely friendly and helpful - a true credit to the Navy! They took us just about everywhere: including the forecastle, the C.I.C. (combat information center) and bridge. Never in my life did I ever think I'd get to stand on the bridge of an active duty warship!

While we were on the bridge, I was afforded a rare opportunity...

"Go ahead, I don't care if you sit in the CO's chair."

With my tour of the Princeton done, I went to stand in line for the minesweeper Champion. I wasn't so lucky this time, as the wait was four hours. I considered giving up and going home after two but figured I might as well see this thing through. And so I did!

Because Champion is such a small ship, the tour wasn't as grand as the Princeton's had been. It was still informative, however, and exciting!

The destroyer Chafee had made her way out before the day's events started, although I did catch a glimpse as I was coming over the Vincent Thomas Bridge that morning.

All in all, Navy Week was a blast! I strongly encourage anyone interested in ships or the Navy to come out and partake of the festivities. I hope that the Port of Los Angeles decides to host one again in the near future.

Navy Week Los Angeles 2011

While not ocean liners, warships are still beautiful and evoke strong feelings of power, patriotism and pride. They are hard-working ships as well: from the mighty aircraft carrier to the humble minesweeper. They have a very serious job to do, and they remain vigilant at all times. I think it will surprise few that they are another keen interest of mine (it doesn't help either that my grandpa and uncle both served in the US Navy). So when I found out that several ships were coming to the Port of Los Angeles this week, I had to write about it!

This is the first time that Los Angeles has had a Navy Week. The program was started five years ago in order to inform the American public about the services rendered by sailors and aviators by inviting them to tour these ships. This is completely free to the public and has been incredibly popular.

Four ships sailed into the Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro) for the event: the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, the cruiser Princeton, the destroyer Chafee and the minesweeper Champion.

On Thursday, July 28 I visited the Abraham Lincoln. For size and security issues, she was docked at nearby Cabrillo Beach instead of at the cruise terminal. I waited in line for two hours as a small fleet of buses took people to and from the carrier. But we finally made it over and aboard.

"Wow!" That's all I could think, and it's still all I can say when people ask me about it.

The other ships were closed for tours by the time I returned. I'm planning to go back on either Saturday or Sunday in the hopes of getting aboard the Princeton and the Champion (Chafee left earlier today).

For more information about Navy Week, go here: U.S. Navy Weeks