Photo By Seaman Jeadan Andre | 250305-N-QR506-1050 PHILIPPINE SEA (March 5, 2025) Friends and family of Sailors...... read more read more
Subscribe
When the USS America sets sail, nations take note. 44,971 tons of U.S. sovereign territory carving a path through the Philippine Sea is hard to ignore but lost in this the picture is the story of the Sailors who man the mighty vessel. With this in mind, the Tiger Cruise was created so that the families and friends of Sailors could get the opportunity to see firsthand the hard work of their service member as well as slice of everyday life aboard one of the United States’ premier warships.
The purpose of the friends and family cruise was made clear from the start and the ‘Tigers’ were given a schedule of activities and encouraged to enjoy themselves during their time aboard. “This is our second tiger cruise we’ve done,” said Capt. Ethan Rule, commanding officer of the USS America said as he addressed the Sailors and their friends and families in the in a welcome aboard session. “If you want to see something and it’s not on the list of things to do, ask, we will try to help you do anything you want to do.”
Over the course of four days, the ‘Tigers’ were shown demonstrations such as a combat systems overview, gun shoots, as well as tours of the bridge, flight control, medical bay flight deck, and even the brig.
“It’s amazing how intricate everything is and we don’t think about it in the States—all the stuff that goes on to serve and protect our country has been eye-opening,” said Emilie Hawley, the mother of a 2nd class petty officer aboard America.
A static display was set up in the hangar bay in order to walk through the operations of the MH-60S Seahawk helicopter and the naval aviators that fly and crew them. Guests were encouraged to step inside and get a feel for how the helicopter functions and to preview its capabilities.
“The most interesting thing I did today was learn about this helicopter,” said Jackson Maxwell as he gestured to the Seahawk helicopter and its crew beside him. “And learning about what they do and how you get the job and being able to do these kinds of things.”
Participants got to see flight operations firsthand as MV-22 Osprey and MH-60S helicopters took off and landed on the flight deck while underway. Not only demonstrating the combat power of the ship but also the thorough safety standards enforced to keep the crew safe at all times.
Watching from primary flight control was Kent Baarda. “The tower was really cool,” he said reflecting on the experience of watching the Ospreys land before his eyes. “That was awesome, one was right out the window.”
The ‘Tigers’ participated in a hands-on demonstration of damage control equipment, such as firefighting gear, fire hoses, and CO2 bottles. The ships Damage Controlmen showcased the critical importance of damage control and fire containment on an isolated ship at sea. They learned that, underway every Sailor must be trained and prepared to handle any crises without the help of the outside world.
In the middle of the last full day on board the ‘Tigers’ were treated to a “Steel Beach Picnic” held in the hangar bay with events and games like corn hole, tug of war, Jenga, basketball and even a live band comprised of Sailors who volunteered their time and talent for the event.
“I’m just observing everything, just taking it in,” said Joseph Neureuter as he watched the steel beach activities. Reflecting back on his adventures of the past few days he continued, “I just think it’s a fantastic experience, I can’t believe that I was able to do this, it still blows my mind this even happens and I’m just thankful because most never even have an opportunity to go on a warship, I thought it was fantastic.”
America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2025 20:30 |
| Story ID: | 492092 |
| Location: | PHILIPPINE SEA |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USS America Hosts Tiger Cruise, by SN Kenneth Melseth, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
