Norfolk Trip: Day Four

You know the daily morning drill...

Up at 5 a.m., on the bus at 6 a.m and breakfast at the navy mess hall and then onto our day's activities.

First stop...ride in a LCM/LCU.

It is an aquatic vehicle used to transport troops and vehicles onto a beach. We got to take a ride in it around the harbor and then we "stormed" a beach. We were warned to hold on and steady ourselves because there would be quite a bump when the LCM/LCU hit the beach. They were right, even though we had braced ourselves we were still surprised by the jarring. We were jostled against one another.

Some of the cadets got out of the vehicle and onto the beach. Those who did got their shoes muddy and would have to work harder that evening when they polished them.

Our next stop was to see the Landing Craft & Air Cushion (LCAC) static display.

We were not able to take a ride on the LCAC.

The LCAC and its crew of five can negotiate roughly 70% of the world's coast lines. The air cushions allow it to reach areas most ships or boats can't and it can go from the water to the land without stopping. The picture below shows and LCAC in action (the air cushions are filled with air, unlike in the picture above).

LCACs can travel over 46 mph. That would have been a great ride.

Our next stop was to a Navy SEAL brief and pool. There we learned about the SEALs and what it takes to become one (lots of hard work, mental and physical) and watched as some young men were going through an obstacle course in the pool in hopes of being chosen to be accepted into the SEAL training program.

The young men climbed the ropes and swung from them like monkeys and then dove into the water. One man lept from the diving board, did a somersault in air and landed on the cargo netting that was strung up a few feet from the diving board. Impressive. Several of the female cadets really enjoyed watching the guys perform (me too).

Lunch (you guessed it, the Navy mess hall) was sandwiched between the SEALs and our next stop.

Our next stop was to the Coast Guard Station Little Creek. The Captain was thrilled to be there as he is a Coastie. He was grinning from ear to ear.

Our cadets had to be broken into three groups for the station tour. One group was given a tour of the station house and visited the radio room. The radio room is where all of the distress calls come in. Then one group went outside to see the weapons (hand guns, machine guns and rifles) that the Coast Guard uses if they need them as they perform their duties on the water and another group got a ride in the Coast Guard's newest boat (it is self-righting but thank God we didn't have to find that out during our ride) and a tour of an 87 foot cutter called USCG Albacore.

Both boats are used in search and rescue efforts as well as recreational boating safety and fisheries regulation. Everyone at the Coast Guard Station were extremely nice and knowledgeable.

It was time to get back on the bus and head for dinner at the mess hall then back to the barracks.

Our poor bus was getting quite a workout and it was taking a toll on it. Our A/C quit on us earlier in the day (I do believe Virginia was warmer than Florida during our visit, or at least it felt like it). Tom, the bus driver, would get it fixed on day five.

End of day four.