USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)

USS Carl Vinson: This group is for parents with children serving aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in San Diego, Ca.

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  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • Will Wild

  • Will Wild

    Fleet Week was awesome in San Francisco! We drove from Seattle to see our sailor, Tim was so excited to see us too. We were able to tour and take pictures of the Vinson, I really enjoyed talking my sons CO and learning some history of the ship also I found out that Tim never deviates from his position on board and the superiors enjoy working with him.

  • Will Wild

    Our sailor was home for a couple of weeks of liberty, we had a great time spending time with him. Tim is getting ready for his first deployment and extremely excited about it, our other son is half way through his deployment and cannot wait to come home and share all his travels with us. Stay Safe Sailors!

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    First Aircraft Carrier Basketball Arena Under Construction

    Story Number: NNS111101-19 Release Date: 11/1/2011 4:35:00 PM

     

    By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Shentel Downes, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs

     

    SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Carl Vinson's (CVN 70) flight deck began its transformation into a complete basketball arena Nov. 1, as workers readied it for the inaugural Quicken Loans Carrier Classic basketball game Nov. 11.

     

    Carl Vinson will host the Spartans of Michigan State University and the Tar Heels from the University of North Carolina on Veterans' Day. The game, to be aired live on Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN), was conceived as a way to show appreciation for active duty service members and military veterans.

     

    The nine-day process of constructing an arena to seat 7000 spectators is estimated to involve more than 150 construction personnel. Pieces of the arena, such as the floor, bleachers, lights and tents will be brought from all over the United States in preparation for the event.

     

    "There are thousands of moving parts that we're trying to fit together, between the Navy, the Morale Entertainment Foundation, the schools, and ESPN. The real challenge is seeing how all the parts will mesh," said Jim Preston, a Morale Entertainment Foundation volunteer. "We have the right people for the job - people who have helped coordinate past Olympics and Super Bowl halftime shows. The end result is going to be something to see."

     

    In addition to all the moving parts and intricacies of setting up a basketball court on the carrier's flight deck, the construction crew will produce a secondary arena in the ship's hangar bay, to be used in the event of inclement weather.

     

    "We're hoping we don't have to build the set-up in the hangar bay at all, as we'd have a lot of disappointed people," said George Moore, lead assistant of the Morale Entertainment Foundation. Moore explained that the overhead in the hangar bay would restrict bleacher seating and significantly reduce the number of spectators in the stands. "Hopefully, the odds will be in our favor."

     

    Construction of the court and arena is scheduled to be completed Nov. 9, with the Spartans and Tar Heels scheduled to practice together on the finished court the following day.

     

    For more news from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn70/.

     

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

     

    Edited time lapse of USS Carl Vinson's flight deck during the erection of bleachers

     

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • Jim Hunt

    My son Jon is currently on the "Vinson". He is with VFA 25 and on his first deployment. He said they will be doing a Tiger Cruise when they pull into Hawaii. Anyone have any details?

  • Will Wild

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    Byron...you can learn a lot just by reading the past posts in the Stennis group...the talk has pretty exclusively about their cruise so I'd go back about 10 pages or so and read up.  Also spend time in the Tiger Cruise group...there are many pages of posts there with hints and tips.  It all starts with your sailor submitting your name for the cruise.  There will be medical screening form you'll have to complete and then the staff will make the decision if you qualify for the cruse or not.  Your sailor will also have to pay a small fee.  After that it is preparing and getting a plan in place...you can read about what to take and not to take on the groups I've mentioned.  Through other contacts in the groups that are going usually a plan falls into place...where to meet and all those things.  Just remember OPSEC......no specific places and times in public posts.

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • William M. Farmer

    Byron, I'm not quite sure what you're time line is but I can give you what mine was for the 2011 TC on the Carl Vinson.  12 weeks before getting on the boat, I learned about the TC.  Two weeks later I received the forms with a hard two week deadline to return (missing this deadline would have dq'd me for consideration).  5 weeks before embarkation, I received confirmation that I was medically cleared and the Tiger Cruise was on.  The key piece of information was when the boat was arriving in San Diego.  It was highly recommended that return air travel be arranged for the following day. 

    Good luck, you'll be joining a small but select group of civilians who can say that they slept underneath an airport and over a nuclear reactor.

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    and so you can get stoked, here is the first blog I wrote about my cruise on the Roosevelt waaaaay back in '09!  At the bottom of each page is a Next Post button to go the next blog in the series......

    and as William said: "Good luck, you'll be joining a small but select group of civilians who can say that they slept underneath an airport and over a nuclear reactor." And I'll add "over a nuclear reactor and about 5 million pounds of live ordinance......"

    Click this for the link

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    Historical All-Female Flight Takes Place Aboard USS Carl Vinson

    Story Number: NNS120127-05

    By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW/AW) Rosa A. Arzola, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs

    USS CARL VINSON, At Sea (NNS) -- Five "Tigertails" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron One Two Five (VAW-125), embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) as part of Carrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17), flew an historic flight on Jan. 25 when they participated in the Navy's first all-female E-2C Hawkeye combat mission.

    Carrier Aircraft Plane Commander Lt. Cmdr. Tara Refo, Mission Commander Lt. Cmdr. Brandy Jackson, Second Pilot Lt. Ashley Ruic, Air Control Officer Lt. Nydia Driver, and Radar Operator Lt. j. g. Ashley Ellison flew an E-2C Hawkeye- the Navy's all-weather, carrier-based tactical battle management airborne early warning and command and control aircraft. The aircraft was also manned up by multiple female maintainers including Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class LaTasha Lawrence, Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class Farzana Lively, Aviation Structural Mechanic (Equipment) 2nd Class Ana Wilson, Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Denise Birchfield, and Aviation Machinist's Mate 3rd Class Racheal Watson who ensured the safe launch and recovery.

    "I have only had the opportunity to fly with one other female pilot," Ruic said. "It is nice to be a part of history, not just because we are females, but because we are also close friends. It was a unique experience."

    Ellison added, "We got the mission accomplished and had fun at the same time. It was a flight I will never forget."

    "Since April 2011, when Ellison checked on board as the fifth female in the squadron, we have been attempting to organize the all-female combat mission flight. Due to operational constraints, it had not been possible until now," stated Jackson, the squadron's operations officer.

    The Tigertails are one of twelve active-duty VAW squadrons in the Navy. Eleven are carrier-based, but as Driver explained, VAW-125 is the only fleet Hawkeye squadron with enough females to fill a complete flight crew.

    The number of female Hawkeye pilots in the fleet is still small, sitting at less than 5 percent, but the number of female naval flight officers appears to be growing, Refo noted. "During my junior officer tour from 2003 to 2006, I was the first female officer and only female pilot in my squadron," she said. "Now having five women in the same squadron with varying rank and experience, it is gratifying to witness the progression of women in the community."

    The opportunities opened up by women aviators like Capt. Sarah Joyner, the first female deputy carrier air wing commander, and Cmdr. Val Overstreet, the first female VAW commanding officer, have allowed many females to pursue their dreams with no limitations.

    After the flight, Jackson expressed interest in repeating this event should the opportunity arise. "We are getting a new female naval flight officer soon, and we can't wait for her to join us as we continue to make history as naval aviators," Ellison commented.

    Carl Vinson and CVW-17 are conducting maritime theater security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

    For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

    For more news from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn70/.

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    been posting a ton of stuff about Tiger Cruises in the Stennis group...you may want to spend some time there and start to prepare

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    from Vinson:

    Attention Carl Vinson Plankowners: If you're interested in participating in a project related to the 30th anniversary of CVN 70's commissioning, contact us at heycarl@cvn70.navy.mil
  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • Gerald Lee Campbell

    Hi, I Will be Attending The Tiger Cruise Of The USS Carl Vinson In Hawaii,

    I Am Looking Very Forward To It & To See My Son Again,

    This Will Be My 1st Tiger Cruise & Excited To Experience This Once In A Lifetime Opportunity, 

    I Am Going Down To Hawaii By Myself, If Anyone Would Like To Share The Expense Of A Room ETC...

    PM Me In Private To Discuss Details,

    I Will be Going Down A Few Days Early To See The Sights,  

    If Your Interested & Want To Share A Room & Expenses, Feel Free To Contact me via Private Message, 

    See Everyone Else There,

    Thanks & Enjoy Your Trip, 

  • Phil Halmers

    Hii all... a new CVN70 dad here.  Our son (CTT) left a couple weeks ago for San Diego and was immediately flown out to meet his shipmates.  His mom is feeling like its boot camp all over again and we are never gonna hear from him again.  Can any of you experienced Vinson parents comment on the type and frequency of communication with your sailors?  Thanks

  • Rick shepherd

    Hello, Welcome to the Vinson!! This is our son first depolyment on the USS Carl Vinson. He is a MM nuke. My wife will be flying out to SD for home coming. Tell you wife to check out the carl vinson group on navyformoms site and look up my wife she is under the name Joshua's nuke mom. She can help your wife with any questions.

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    Or you can suggest she get involved with the NavyDads group as well....contact with the fleet is variable.  You might hear form him every day and then go for a couple of weeks with nada.  Rely on your support sites and remember that he is part of a large community and that his shipmates are forming to core of his "family" for the time being....advice you spend some time int he Care Package group and start getting ideas for things to send and advice on how to do so safety!!

  • Phil Halmers

    Thank you gentlemen for the suggestions.   we certainly will be on here and Facebook... we can't make it out for this homecoming but hopefully will be able to be there for one in the future.

  • William M. Farmer

    I don't know if your son brought a laptop along, but skype is the best way to communicate in port.  Port calls are few and far between but it is a great way to see and talk to your sailor. 

    I went on the 2011 Tiger cruise from Pearl Harbor to SD.  My son had always said the internet is slow on the boat.  I was going to surf the web one night.  According to my watch, it took 5 minutes to load the home page and another 5 minutes to open a link.  He obviously wasn't kidding!!

    E-mail is great, but the internet can, and does go down sometimes for a week.  The internet is not a top priority on a working boat and sometimes OP-SEC (operational security) is the reason that e-mail is not available. 

    Hope this helps.

     

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    when my son was on cruise on the Roosevelt, Hamid Karzai was going to visit the carrier and all email comm was shut down for almost three weeks as a security measure before the visit...

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    USS Carl Vinson Returns to 3rd Fleet
    By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Byron C. Linder

    120504-N-DR144-326

    In this file photo, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) transits in the Pacific Ocean May 4, 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans)

    PACIFIC OCEAN - Sailors of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 returned to the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) May 11.

    Vinson is currently transiting to her homeport in San Diego following a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Middle East areas supporting maritime theater security operations in the U.S. 7th and 5th Fleets.

    "The dedication demonstrated by every Sailor up and down the chain of command was the key factor in accomplishing every mission objective for our time in the 5th and 7th Fleets," said Vinson's Commanding Officer Capt. Kent D. Whalen. "With our return to 3rd Fleet, our focus may have changed but our mission-ready mindset continues."

    Vinson serves as the flagship for Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, led by Rear Adm. T.K. Shannon, which also consists of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 1 guided-missile destroyers USS Halsey (DDG 97), guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), and CVW-17.

    CVW-17 encompasses the "Sunliners" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 81, the "Stingers" of VFA 113, the "Redcocks" of VFA 22, the "Fists of the Fleet" of VFA 25, the "Garudas" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 134, the "Tiger Tails" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 125, the "Rawhides" of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 and the "Red Lions" of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 15.

    In addition to supporting its primary mission throughout the deployment, Carl Vinson completed the following:

    - From Jan. 9 to March 24, flew 1,085 Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) missions, totaling 6,600 total flight hours. This included close air support missions, support for coalition ground forces, airborne electronic warfare missions and airborne command and control missions.

    - Deployed 7,283 pounds of ordnance and expended 1,717 rounds of 20mm ammunition in support of OEF. Conducted exercises with coalition countries and other nations, including Singapore, Britain, India and Australia.

    - Made port visits and conducted community service projects in Hong Kong, Jebel Ali, India, and Australia.

    - Earned the 2011 Commander Naval Air Forces Battle Efficiency (Battle "E") award for West Coast-based aircraft carriers.

    - Hosted former CBS Evening News anchor and 60 Minutes correspondent Dan Rather for a three-day visit as the subject of a segment for television news magazine Dan Rather Reports.

    - Sailed over 53,200 nautical miles. Third Fleet leads naval forces in the eastern Pacific from the west coast of North America to the international date line.

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    120518-N-DR144-726 PACIFIC OCEAN (May 18, 2012) Tiger Cruise participants commemorate their voyage with a spell-out on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 recently completed a deployment to the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class James R. Evans/Released)

  • William M. Farmer

    Paul,

    Do you have the 2011 Carl Vinson Tiger pic??

    Bill

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    not in my collection....try the Vinson's Facebook page or their webpage

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    cool idea here folks!

    Track the days of 2013 with your Sailor. This high resolution file is downloadable on our Flickr site and can be printed at your local photo center as an 11x14 poster.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/ussvinson/8348630284/in/photostream

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    Sailors aboard USS Carl Vinson are wrapping up the Planned Incremental Availability Period and are moving forward with preparations to get the ship back to sea. A Fast Cruise simulates how the ship works and operates while underway.
  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

    A recently compelted 36" model of the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)

    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.496027663765814.102914.18...

  • NavyDads Co-Admin, Gary

    NAS North Island...

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)

  • NavyDads Admin (Paul)