Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

Lol, it is a "rack" but "little slot" is a better description of it. :)  Here is a picture of my son's rack on the Bush. His is the open one on the bottom left...

They are called racks and the racks are located in the berthing compartment. Here is another of the entire rack...

The Enterprise is on the next pier over from where the Bush ties up. The Enterprise is being retired and has been inactivated and isn't going back out to sea so her friend will be in port when she gets there. There is a parking lot directly across the street from the Bush and the Enterprise.

Dad of Sailor, Thanks for the photos- just want to let you know that I didn't think they were that big.  Maybe different sizes on different types of ships?  My son on a DDG cannot roll over- his shoulders get stuck. He is a medium- large build. I don't know what the "big guys" do.

navymommo,

The big guys hope they can get a top rack which is open and isn't enclosed on the top. Or they suffer and wish they were "little guys".

My son is on an LPD and they did make the racks a "little" bigger.  They are "L" shaped and have a place where you can velcro an iPad so you can look at the screen. 

Dad ~ your son's rack looks bigger than what my son currently has. He's just happy to have a place to lay his head.  He can pretty much sleep anywhere.

Tonya,

Your daughter will tell you about it and it normally happens upon return from a deployment. So after a 6-10 month deployment they allow family members to come on-board for a couple days before the ship returns to port. There are some restrictions on who can be a guest, not boyfriends or girlfriends and I don't think spouses are allowed either, at least they weren't when I was on a ship.

If you can make it work it is a great experience to see your daughter and how she lives and works every day.

The Bush group is a bit slow...maybe we need to get it going huh?

WOW Dad of a sailor  Thanks for that, it sounds like something definitely to do.

Yeah, if they allowed spouses or BF and GF's it would turn into the love boat instead of a warship.

Laurie,

Wow, that is awesome...very cool you both get to go. You'll love it and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that most civilians only dream about experiencing. Gives you a good appreciation of the sacrifice those Sailors make every day for months at a time to keep the rest of us free. Seeing your son after many months away is a great benefit as well.

This is yours truly in a middle rack on an LHD (USS Iwo Jima).  I'm 5'7" and with my elbows bent, my fingertips are touching the rack above me!  I don't know how those with a top rack swing up into that narrow space, not to mention sleep in any of them!  The second pic is the storage space beneath the mattress.  

I recommend that parents look into getting a "Navy rack pack" for your sailor.  Most commands allow them, but double-check.  These are curtains made just for Navy and CG ships, are darkening and have pockets sewn in for storing iPads, alarm clocks, whatever, and your sailor's last name is embroidered free.  The curtains snap into the track inside the existing curtain.  The company is woman-owned and she is terrific, tell Pat I said Hi lol She will answer all your questions.  http://www.navyrackpacks.com

The curtains are neat but I would caution any Sailor about leaving anything valuable in those pockets like an ipads or the like. Even with the Sailor asleep in the rack it wouldn't take long for the ipad to go missing. Unfortunately the Navy is not immune to theft and there are thieves in every berthing compartment. For stuff that isn't of value those curtains are a great idea.

Anybody know what the racks are like on the USS Bainbridge?

CO-Twin,

Small... :)

Little slots made me laugh, thanks.  The second posted rack does not look bad.  What are they like on smaller ships?  My son's ship has 270 crew.  Will they have a bit more room?

Good thing my son Twin1 is 5'8" his twin2 is 6'4" might be more of a challenge.

Good thing my son Twin1 is 5'8" his twin2 is 6'4" might be more of a challenge.

@abuon18, as Dad of Sailor said earlier, if spouses/girfriends/boyfriends were allowed, the Navy ship would become the Love Boat!  :)  The Tiger Cruise is a way for family members and friends to see what life is like on a ship, not romantic reunions - those will happen in a day or two.

This was posted for a longer-than-normal Tiger Cruise aboard USS Carl Vinson last year but should answer most of your questions (some requirements may change but the essence is there): http://www.navyformoms.com/profiles/blogs/tiger-cruise-frequently-a...  

dad of sailor, while sex is prohibited it still happens while they are on deployment.

when my daughter was on the bush her brother went down to florida for the tiger cruise.  there is a lot of paperwork that has to be done, including a physical.  and there is an minimum age.  if your sailor is a female and the person going on the tiger cruise is a male your sailor will have to get a male sailor to sponsor the tiger and visa versa. 

they had several buses that left out of norfolk that took the tigers from this area down to mayport to meet the ship.  i don't remember how much it cost.

but, my son loved his time on the bush, met some new friends and it was a fantastic experience.  if you can go you really should.

duhhuh58,

I'm know it does, I spent 26 years in the Navy so I'm well aware of what goes on out there. Though, when I was in my younger years we didn't have females on ships, that was later in my career. There is no way you can lock males and females together for months at a time and someone isn't gonna find a way or place to answer natures call. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and gets to spend it with family and friends. Don't forget to remember those that gave their lives in service to this country so we can enjoy the freedom we have today.

Theresa, duhhuh, beachmom76 and others in Hampton Roads, how are you doing and what's up with the approaching tropical storm??  Reading about it, and seeing that this weekend's Harborfest events are being cancelled (like the Parade of Sail) or relocated.

I saw that USS Gunston Hall was scheduled to be open for tours June 7 - 9 as part of Norfolk's Harborfest - http://wtkr.com/2013/06/05/uss-gunston-hall-will-open-for-tours-dur...

*Hampton Roads and nearby areas that is :)

@Sandra AM Mom,

there are day cares in and around the bases.  some are base run and some are home day cares.  have your son check with the Fleet and Family Readiness they should be able to get you a list of day cares.  My grandson was with one lady that actually kept children while the parents were deployed.

May I have suggestions on what to do for the "night before" Homecoming party? Thanks a bunch

What do you mean, "night before" 

There is a party that the families have the night before the ship pulls in.

singingbird, CO-Twin,

Can't comment on the destroyer food as I was never on a destroyer, however, I can say with authority the food gets worse the longer you're out to sea and the fresh stuff gets harder to come by. The food always started out fairly good and after a while you start getting all canned fruit and the like. They do get replenished at sea but how often and what they get are the big questions.

singingbird...his scurvy comment had me in stitches, thanks for sharing. :)

Trevor'sMom, are you planning a party, or going to the FRG night-before party and wondering what it's about?  

If the former, some of the things the Family Readiness Groups do are a potluck dinner; a welcome-home sign-making activity; a raffle for things like a " First Date" night at a hotel plus breakfast andor dinner.  

If the latter, you could ask the FRG what you can donate (often it's cash so they can buy tickets, hotel nights, whatever for their raffles).

I would be willing to bet this has to do with all media reports of sexual assaults in the military and is focused on things that are derogatory and degrading to other people.  Unless the 1st Amendment doesn't apply anymore I don't know how they would prosecute someone for saying something "not nice" about the military.

I think something was lost in translation somewhere along the line.

If the below warning is true, singingbird's son may be in trouble for complaining about the food on the destroyer. :)

He hasn't been on it yet, supposed to board today.  He was told in A school that ALL meat is canned.  I can not imagine why that would be. Do they not have a freezer on board? 

It wasn't all canned when I was on a ship, I remember carrying huge cases or frozen meat during replenishment's. They have freezers but you have to remember they are storing food for 200 - 6000 people depending on the size of the ship. So, they don't have unlimited space.

The warning is true ..

watch what is said on Face book . any anti government postings,

I am just trying to warn people so they dont get kicked out. I dont want to see any thing happen to them

ALL  RANKS need to watch what they say .

What the heck is that mess? Someone needs to get rid of that stuff.