A Tour of the "Big E"

(Part 4)

Behind the Scenes

Although I've had the opportunity to tour aircraft carriers on three previous occasions (the USS Independence CV-62 in 1976, the USS Eishenhower CVN-69 in 1978, and the USS Nimitz CVN-68 in 1981), the crew of the USS Enterprise CVN-65 took visitors on a more extensive behind-the-scenes tour than I've ever had before. However, in deference to the privacy of the crewmembers, who would have been clearly identifiable in any photos taken in the close quarters "below deck," I did not take photos during this part of the tour. For this page, I've borrowed some frames from Flight Deck a documentary video on carrier operations that was produced by Aviation Week Video and has aired on cable television on several occasions.

After our tour left the hangar deck, enroute to the flight deck, we passed by some of the crew areas aboard the Enterprise. Among these was the ship's library, which boasted, in addition to quite a collection of books, a bank of about ten personal computers which the crew can use to correspond with family members and friends via email or to browse the internet. A small lounge next to the main library room had two glass cabinets displaying quite an assortment of models of the USS Enterprises and other vessels from -- Star Trek! Also, one wall of the library computer area had a huge poster of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D -- the same poster that Captain Picard had in his ready room aboard the starship.

After our tour of the fight deck, we headed up the many flights of steep, narrow stairs to Deck 010, the Navigation Bridge. Of course, with the ship at anchor, things were rather quiet here at the time. But this is the main control center of the Enterprise. In addition to the Captain's and Executive Officer's chairs at opposite ends of the bridge, we saw the navigational radar screen and the computerized satellite tracking display, which showed a remarkably detailed map of the world that could be zoomed right in to pinpoint the exact location of the Enterprise just at the entrance to the St. Thomas harbor. The Navigation Bridge is also where the engine and helm steering controls are located. By the way, at the time, the ship's on-board television station was showing G.I. Jane starring Demi Moore.

The Navigation Bridge aboard a typical carrier

[Photos from "Flight Deck" published by Aviation Week Video.]

Next, we went up another couple of levels to the Signal Bridge, basically a catwalk area at the top of the island superstructure where high-powered binoculars are located for the crew members who are on watch and where the signal lights and flags are located. From there, we then headed back down to an intermediate level in the superstructure to CATCC -- the Carrier Air Traffic Control Center. This isn't the Deck 011 perch where the Air Boss has an unobstructed view of the entire flight deck, but an enclosed area that houses the air traffic control radar displays that are typical of the air traffic control centers at most large airports. Here too, we saw the plexiglass boards on which crew members standing behind them write down key information on every aircraft that is in the air so that the on-duty officers can quickly check on the location and status of those aircraft. The CATCC assumes control of outgoing and incoming aircraft to a maximum radius of about 21 miles from the carrier.

The Carrier Air Traffic Control Center

Back down to the lowest level within the superstructure, we next stopped by the Flight Deck Control Office, where officers keep track of the exact location and status of each aircraft on board the carrier by means of a scale model of the flight and hangar decks and scale silhouettes of each aircraft. By placing various items on the aircraft silhouettes -- a nut to represent an aircraft undergoing repairs or a washer to represent an aircraft that needs to be washed -- the crew members on duty can immediately determine the operational status of each aircraft. With the limited space available on any carrier, even one as large as the Enterprise, the Flight Deck Control Office plays an important role in ensuring the safety of all of the crew members who are working around the aircraft on the deck and the safety of the aircraft themselves.

The Flight Deck Control Office

On the way back down to the hangar deck, we passed by (but didn't stop at) one of the squadron ready rooms for Carrier Air Wing 3. A typical ready room is set up in a classroom-type arrangement, with comfortable chairs for the pilots and other flight crew members to relax comfortably in full flight gear while they receive their mission briefings from the squadron commander. These briefings are usually supplemented with detailed maps, reconnaissance photographes, and other visual aids to provide the flight crews with as much information as possible on their mission and any problems they may encounter.

A typical Squadron Ready Room

Finally, our tour was coming to an end. We headed back down to the hangar deck and stopped by a souvenir table where USS Enterprise memorobilia, like caps, T-shirts, mugs, photographs, and ship emblem decals, were on sale at nominal cost. From there, we headed to the the fantail at the rear of the ship to board our ferry back to St. Thomas. But before concluding this virtual tour, I thought I'd give you a quick glimpse at what air operations aboard the Enterprise are like, based on the information provided by our very able and enthusiastic Enterprise tour guides.

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003