Nimitz News

Hello NIMITZ Family and Friends,

Your Sailors have traveled far and done much since I last wrote. At that time, we were operating in the Arabian Gulf finishing up our work with Operation Iraqi Freedom and Maritime Security Operations. On 22 September, we transited the Strait of Hormuz into the North Arabian Sea. The crew was very glad to get into cooler conditions and it was an amazing difference as soon as we cleared the Strait. As I’ve told you previously, the summertime conditions in the Gulf were extremely difficult and this crew performed magnificently. I am very proud of them.

NIMITZ proceeded to a location off the coast of India and conducted an exercise with the Indian Navy named Malabar. The entire strike group was involved and it was the first time a US Navy aircraft carrier had participated in the exercise. While there, we operated with the Indian carrier VIRAAT. Our Airwing flew training sorties with their Sea Harriers, the strike group escorts participated in multiple events with VIRAAT’s escorts, we conducted numerous personnel exchanges, and hosted distinguished visitors on board NIMITZ. The effort was highly successful and will pave the way for future encounters and enhanced interoperability with the Indian Navy.

Upon completion of our involvement in Malabar, we steered a southerly course toward a long-awaited port visit in Australia. Since we had to cross the equator to get there, we had an opportunity to observe the long-standing “Crossing the Line” ceremony in which those Sailors who have never crossed the equator in a Navy ship---Poliwogs—are inducted into the Loyal Order of Trusty Shellbacks. As we approached the domain of King Neptunus Rex, Davey Jones, Neptune’s loyal messenger and right-hand man, came aboard and announced the requirement to rid the ship of the Poliwog infestation. That evening in the Hangar, the Wogs performed in a Crossing the Line talent show for the amusement of all. Early the following morning, King Neptunus Rex himself was gonged aboard and held reveille for the Poliwogs. Led by the senior Wog, Executive Officer Captain Joe Clarkson, they enjoyed a Wog breakfast and then proceeded to test their mettle and prove their worthiness. The King and his Court did a great job and within a few hours, almost 2000 Poliwogs had passed the test and were welcomed as Shellbacks. A fun day was had by all and King Neptune declared the ship ready to continue our southern passage.

We continued south, flying and training along the way. The Southern Cross welcomed us and the night sky in the southern hemisphere once again lived up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful sights at sea. Everyone performed well on the transit and enjoyed the cooler temperatures as we approached the Australian springtime. After a few more days NIMITZ anchored in Fremantle Australia, the port city for Western Australia’s capital city, Perth. Hard to believe, but this was NIMITZ’s first ever visit down under. Liberty in Australia is legendary in our Navy and this visit reinforced that notion. The Aussies rolled out the red carpet for us and everyone enjoyed their warmth and hospitality. Once again this crew proved to be great ambassadors of our Navy and Nation and we got underway with no incidents after having made many new friends.

Our plan from Perth was to go through the Australian Bight to the south and make another port visit at Brisbane in eastern Australia. Unfortunately the weather in the Southern Ocean did not allow that passage so we cancelled the Brisbane port call and headed back to the north. We are presently enroute to join our Tigers and will be home on schedule. Everyone is very excited about Tiger Cruise and, of course, our homecoming. Preparations are firming up and many of our family support group, Team NIMITZ, and our great group of Command Ombudsmen are fully engaged in making sure the homecoming celebration goes well.

I have several Sailors to complement and pass on congratulations.

Senior Sailor of the Quarter

ET1 Erin L. Schwarz

Junior Sailor of the Quarter

AO2 Steven D. Lukasiewicz

Bluejacket of the Quarter

ITSN Robert J. Granados

The following are promotions over the last month.

LCDR

LT Bill Howell

LIEUTENANT

LTJG Casey Tyree

LTJG David Pierce

LTJG

ENS Phil Carey

ENS Jason Gilpatrick

ENS Daryl Rohde

CWO3 Darrin Poole was selected for CWO4

CWO2 Paul Smith, CWO2 Eddie Delarosa and CWO2 Kevin Jenkins were selected for CWO3.

Other items of note, we pinned CDR Fran Keller and LT Vic Auld as SWMDOs and LTJG Phil Carey and LT Dennis Davis as SWOs and thus far into deployment we’ve qualified almost 1000 Surface and Aviation Warfare Specialists.

OK, everyone, that’s a wrap for this update. Just over three weeks from today we’ll be steaming into San Diego Bay to a wonderful homecoming. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we are not focusing on it yet. We have some significant operational tasks to complete prior to our arrival and our focus is on completing those tasks effectively and safely. Thank you for your continuing and unfailing support and hang in there—we want to sprint to the finish.

Warm regards and very respectfully,

CAPT Ted Branch, USN

Commanding Officer

USS NIMITZ (CVN 68)