dcr66 wrote:
Years ago on the south west side of Hong Kong Island where my aunt had a flat, we could watch all sorts of US Navy assets going in/out of the harbor. I have seen anything from the usual supply ship to nuclear submarines and a CV once. When I come to think of it, someone with a low tech field gun or rocket launcher could have taken a shot at them passing by.
Funny you should mention that. When we took the hydrofoil to Macau there was a carrier visiting and anchored in the harbor. That night every bar in the city was packed with Americans sailors. The night before they were empty. I got my then-girlfriend out of there!
I used to work with the Navy a lot and got to go on a carrier one time. It was in port, so they weren't doing flight ops, but the planes were still onboard. I'm a ship and airplane nut, so I was in heaven. You just can't imagine how big those things are until you're standing beside one on the dock and it looms overhead like a building or you're standing on the flight deck. I also got to go onboard a special ops submarine once and one of the old World War II vintage battleships (USS Iowa while it was still active duty). Too cool. A nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there!
