August 21, 2007
Final approach
I took this shot aboard a battleship, the USS New Jersey (BB-62), during my spring break in 1989, having transitioned from diesel submarines while on active duty in the Navy, to the dreadnoughts of the seas while in the Naval Reserve.
The Jersey was a magnificent ship, powerful yet sleek, capable of astonishing speed (in excess of 30 knots), inflicting massive damage on the enemy (more than 30 miles with her massive 16-inch cannons hurling shells weighing more than 3,000 pounds over the horizon), and protected with armor so thick we joked that if we took a hit from the French-made Exocet missiles that had devastated the British ships during the Falkland Islands War, the appropriate response would be broadcast over the 1MC announcing systems:
"Missile impact, midships, starboard side! Sweepers, sweepers, man your brooms!"
What a ship.
Posted by Mike Lief at August 21, 2007 05:39 PM
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