This photo of aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is incredible — and it looks like a lot of fun too. I imagine the helmsman pushing the rudder and whispering “wowwheeeee!”
According to J.D. Levite, our intern and ex-US Navy sailor who spent nine years in one of these carriers, “it’s like a car skid, they ramp the carrier up to full power and then push the rudder to make it turn. That sort of turn usually results in a 10-15-degree list. It’s not much compared to small ships that’ll list 40-50 degrees, but huge for a carrier.”
It is! Notice how you can see most of the ships’ flank. Everything on the deck has to be tightly secured for this operation. Otherwise it would fall off into the water.
The photo was taken last Sunday, July 8, in the Atlantic Ocean. The USS Harry S. Truman is “conducting sea trials in collaboration with Norfolk Naval Shipyard to train Sailors and ensure operability of equipment and systems while at sea.” [Flickr]
Photo: Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kristina Young