Monday, November 10, 2008

Weekend on the USS Lexington CV-16

Great Cub Scout weekend on the USS Lexington CV-16, an Essex-class carrier. We had plenty of free time for independent steaming. We toured the ship and went to the Texas State Aquarium which is right next to the Lexington. There’s a beach on the other side. A tad chilly for swimming but we do have a hermit crab at home now. There is actually an IMAX theater on board in the forward hanger deck. We watched the Operation Red Flag movie there. All the kids enjoyed playing on the quad 40MM antiaircraft batteries on the ship. They still train & elevate.

We ate all of the meals in one of the wardrooms. Chili dogs for lunch, spaghetti and meatballs for dinner and breakfast tacos in the morning. We slept in an enlisted berthing compartment. They had double and triple stacked racks. As a former officer, I felt it beneath my dignity to sleep in an enlisted man’s quarters and said so but I was told by the Lexington staff to shut the fuck up and get my ass in the bunk.

All the kids had a great time. I highly recommend it.

1 comment:

Taras Bulba said...

"Now, scouts, Mr. Darr will show you some rope tricks and share some stories about his adventures in Subic Bay while fending off the Red Hordes during the Cold War."