Navy Destroyers

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Comment by Chris H. on September 7, 2011 at 2:00pm

Ears burning, huh?  LOL!  Too bad on missing out on that Tiger Cruise, Paige.  It really is a wonderful experience, and amazing to see our young people doing their jobs in such a professional manner.  Having seen them in action with live fire demonstrations, a refueling at sea and the various exercises/competitions among the crew.  I will never ever forget the 5-inch gun on the bow firing at the "killer tomato" 1,000-meters away and the vibration coming up through my shoes into my legs on the 3.5-inch thick steel of the helicopter pad nearly 500 feet away on the stern.

Comment by Paige on September 7, 2011 at 1:49pm

Thanks Chris!  I will take that as my que, and pop in, lol.  I have been reading the posts and appreciate everyone's involvement in the conversation.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend a Family Day Cruise on the Howard last March, just a little more than a month before they left for deployment.  I had a wonderful time!!  They did their best to keep the guest entertained with various demonstrations.... Hovercraft, Helo, and deck guns, etc.  One of the highlights for me was meeting and visiting the ship's name sake's (Jimmy E. Howard) family members, who also attend the cruise that day. I had concerns before I went about the seasickness issue, but I'm happy to say I did not experience anything of the sort and felt great the entire time.  Having very calm seas that day though, I'm sure had a lot to do with it, lol.  In regards to the lack of seating on the deck.... there were a number of visitors who brought folding/camping type chairs on board with them.  The Howard will be making that stretch back home from deployment soon and a Tiger Cruise is planned from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to San Diego.  I am extremely regretful that I will not be attending.  Because of limited time available away from my place of employment and my sailor's hectic work schedule on the ship, I will not be able to go.  I would encourage anyone who has the chance to attend a Tiger Cruise or FDC to take advantage of the opportunity.  It is a one of a kind experience!!

 

Welcome new members to the group!!

Comment by Chris H. on September 7, 2011 at 1:08pm

Yes, from what I understand, those 12-hour cruises are primarily for the crews, not us, though I have heard some do have someone designated to keep the guests informed.  On the Tiger Cruise my wife and I were on, we had presentations each day on what the activities were going to be and when, and everything was nicely structured for our information.  I'm sure Paige, when she has a chance, will pop in with more details since she's done a "day cruise" on her son's destroyer.

 

The one thing I would say is if you get a chance, even for a tour aboard the ship (or any ship) while it is in port, take it! 

Comment by Sandi Silvestro on September 7, 2011 at 11:38am

This year was the first time my son's ship did a day cruise.  It was part of the pre-deployment test run and we went out for 12 hours.  I took sometihng for seasickness before I boarded but they were handing out seasick pills on the ship too.  I have vertigo and I did fine...but the sea was calm and it was only a half day.  Have to say, though...I HATED IT!  LOL  They had very little planned so we sat on tyhe deck most of the day and when I say on the deck, I mean on the deck - no deck chairs on a destroyer.  But I'm glad I did it because it's not something civilians get to do everyday.  My friend went on the Tiger Cruise and had a blast.  They kept them busy the whole time so it was a very different experience.  In my son's time on the ship there have o nly been two tiger cruises.  Both near deployment and one got cancelled due to a hurricane so this year was really the first for us.  I don't know when the next one will be.

Comment by Chris H. on September 6, 2011 at 9:58pm

Thanks, good to know.  On our Tiger Cruise (six days) we had 54 Tigers aboard, three were sick but only one of the three was sick more than just a couple hours.  Of course, we had a luxury cruise-type trip with two days of absolutely glass-smooth seas without even a ripple on the water other than what the destroyer was making behind us.  If they'd guarantee that weather, I wouldn't mind going twice a year.  LOL!

Comment by fishdad on September 6, 2011 at 9:40pm

While I was just in Yokosuka they had a 'Friends & Family" Cruise. It was an 8 hour cruise. They had a lot of activities. I didn't actually go out because it was my last day with my son and he was still too sick to be out, but everyone that I talked to that went really enjoyed it. And you can always take some dramamine before you go out if you are worried about sea sickness. 

Comment by Chris H. on September 6, 2011 at 8:44pm

The Tiger Cruise, or a "day cruise" depends on where the ship happens to be before going to the home port for the most part.  Sometimes there will be a "shakedown" overnight or day "cruise" before the ship deploys, but most common are one- or two-day Tiger Cruises (East Coast) or the longer ones on the West Coast.  Perhaps some more experienced people can answer if there are "cruises" for ships based in foreign countries.

Comment by Paul C on September 6, 2011 at 8:32pm

Hey Sandi, thanks for writing.  My wife and I are looking forward to homecoming as well.  We got our airline tickets and need to make hotel reservations. 

Maybe if I did the shorter cruise, I could either get used to it or find out if I will get motion sick or not...  I didn't realize that was an option. 

Comment by Chris H. on September 6, 2011 at 10:17am

Welcome, Sandi.  Good to see you've found this area.  You know what is funny (and I mentioned it elsewhere), but when we did our Tiger Cruise (six days) back in April the situation of showers for the females, all the different sleeping times, etc., put my wife in a funny deal.  You may have seen the bunks, and under-the-bunk storage.  My wife is organized, to say the least, and had gotten up in the dark, grabbed the necessary things for a shower from under the bunk.  As she finished, she noticed the smell of mint.  Once she got out, dried off, put her glasses on she found the source.  She had grabbed the mouthwash instead of shampoo.

 

Anyway, we met that morning in the mess and we having coffee while waiting for our daughter who was on duty to join us for breakfast.  My wife told me her story, and about 15 minutes later our daughter came in.  Mom says,  "You'll never believe what I did this morning!"  And our daughter said, "Washed your hair with mouthwash?"  She was not around when I heard the story, but Sailors were, and apparently one of the people in her section went back and told the story.

 

Now, on the flipside of that is although they're on the same ship, deployed for seven months or so, they may not ever run into everyone.  We got a lot of "I've never seen her/him before" when we'd ask who someone was.  They work different shifts, different sections and their paths may never cross.  By the same token, they may have friends who don't do the same jobs at all, but they always have meals at the same times or are cross-trained together.  The ships "aren't that big" yet they are in some cases.  LOL!

Comment by Sandi Silvestro on September 6, 2011 at 10:03am

Hi Paul,  I'm also a USS Roosevelt parent!  I did the family day cruise, not the tiger cruise.  I could never be on the ship for that long.  12 hours was long enough for me! :)  But I do know someone who did go this year if you want me to connect you to her.  Looking forward to homecoming!!!

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