Last port call was Guam, which it left 12th December 2025. So now up to 244+ days at sea, absolutely insane and inhumane. Previous longest was like 206ish. Could be another couple of months yet as Roosevelt hasn’t even sailed to relieve it. Could hit 300+ days at sea yet.
Yeah I remember Desert Storm when we were out to sea over 100 days they would have a party and break out the beer, 2 cans per sailor. It was a nice gesture since being out to sea without hitting a port for that long really messes with you mentally.
Eh, you can get to areas “outside” without much issue, not all the outside areas are the flight deck.
That being said, these people are crammed in there doing work on a non normal rotation 24/7. It can not help that they are not doing anything worthwhile and also nothing really effective.
Your first point is correct. There are weather decks along the sides and aft of the ship, underneath the flight deck, where crew can be outside.
But these sailors aren’t working 24/7 non-stop. Individuals have downtime to sleep, eat (obviously), and generally hang around playing video games, watching movies, reading, etc (this one is not so obvious). They would’ve had to bring an that stuff onboard before they left.
Regardless, that’s like being stuck in your house for 9 months without ever touching grass. It’s just not sustainable psychologically.
But these sailors aren’t working 24/7 non-stop. Individuals have downtime to sleep, eat (obviously), and generally hang around playing video games, watching movies, reading, etc (this one is not so obvious). They would’ve had to bring an that stuff onboard before they left.
I mean they are at sea and doing the 24 hour work rotations, its not 8 hours of work with 16 hours off. Not sure about us vessels but other navy’s I know of have multiple watches and while at sea your getting rotated though all hours. Its just not something you can expect from someone for these periods of time.
Maybe more of a submarine thing, but it’s really more like 16 on, then 8 off. You spend 8 hours on watch, then 8 hours doing other work (maintenance, quals, training, drills, etc.), and finally 8 hours of down time.
That 8 hours of work can vary wildly depending on the boat and the mission status, being as short as 1 or as long as 16, but you really do spend underways in a unique mix of exhaustion and boredom.
Yeap, that’s exactly what I mean. Its not a normal timetable. And this crew is in a combat setting so those 16 hour days are going to be more on the full side. Zero shore leave and from how it is described, a low supply situation makes for unhappy longterm sailors.
I remember when I served and thought 9-month deployments were too long. That included port visits.
9 months out without ever seeing land is cruel and unusual punishment. Especially in the heat of the Gulf.
Last port call was Guam, which it left 12th December 2025. So now up to 244+ days at sea, absolutely insane and inhumane. Previous longest was like 206ish. Could be another couple of months yet as Roosevelt hasn’t even sailed to relieve it. Could hit 300+ days at sea yet.
Yeah I remember Desert Storm when we were out to sea over 100 days they would have a party and break out the beer, 2 cans per sailor. It was a nice gesture since being out to sea without hitting a port for that long really messes with you mentally.
Do you even see much daylight? I figured, especially on the bigger aircraft carriers, that you spend almost all your time below deck.
Eh, you can get to areas “outside” without much issue, not all the outside areas are the flight deck.
That being said, these people are crammed in there doing work on a non normal rotation 24/7. It can not help that they are not doing anything worthwhile and also nothing really effective.
Your first point is correct. There are weather decks along the sides and aft of the ship, underneath the flight deck, where crew can be outside.
But these sailors aren’t working 24/7 non-stop. Individuals have downtime to sleep, eat (obviously), and generally hang around playing video games, watching movies, reading, etc (this one is not so obvious). They would’ve had to bring an that stuff onboard before they left.
Regardless, that’s like being stuck in your house for 9 months without ever touching grass. It’s just not sustainable psychologically.
I mean they are at sea and doing the 24 hour work rotations, its not 8 hours of work with 16 hours off. Not sure about us vessels but other navy’s I know of have multiple watches and while at sea your getting rotated though all hours. Its just not something you can expect from someone for these periods of time.
Maybe more of a submarine thing, but it’s really more like 16 on, then 8 off. You spend 8 hours on watch, then 8 hours doing other work (maintenance, quals, training, drills, etc.), and finally 8 hours of down time.
That 8 hours of work can vary wildly depending on the boat and the mission status, being as short as 1 or as long as 16, but you really do spend underways in a unique mix of exhaustion and boredom.
Yeap, that’s exactly what I mean. Its not a normal timetable. And this crew is in a combat setting so those 16 hour days are going to be more on the full side. Zero shore leave and from how it is described, a low supply situation makes for unhappy longterm sailors.