More Seafair Navy sights: South Seattle Community College instructor’s Blue Angels ridealong; USS Bonhomme Richard arrives

| Blue Angels | Seen at sea | West Seattle news

(Photo by Glenn Gauthier)
One more Blue Angels note, besides today’s team arrival: South Seattle Community College math instructor Heidi Lyman has taken that Blue Angels ridealong we previewed here last week – and SSCC’s Candace Oehler says Heidi reported shouting at 17,000 feet, “START HERE, GO ANYWHERE!” (That would be the SSCC motto.) She also reported pulling 7.4 g’s in one maneuver with U.S. Navy Lt. Dave Tickle in #7, says Candace, who accompanied Heidi to Boeing Field/Museum of Flight.

And as also previewed here, we’ve had the first Seafair Navy fleet sightings off West Seattle shores:

Via the WSB Facebook page, Russ Walker shared that photo of the USS Bonhomme Richard arriving in Elliott Bay this afternoon. No, it’s not an aircraft carrier, as some have called it – it’s an amphibious-assault ship. The guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson is here too. You’ll see them, and the other visiting ships – plus aircraft flyovers – in the Parade of Ships tomorrow afternoon, starting around 1:45; tours are Thursday-Sunday.

Russ Walker August 2, 2011 (5:17 pm)

And here’s a photo of the USS Sampson arriving earlier:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/russwalker/6003398668/in/photostream

austin August 2, 2011 (9:03 pm)

I love the machinery. I was kayaking halfway between blake island and alki when the first jet came in yesterday. Can’t disagree with that level of engineering.

Marie August 2, 2011 (10:03 pm)

As a Navy mom, I always get tears in my eyes when I see these ships. It has been 10 years since a carrier was here for Seafair – the events of 9/11 happened the month after that “fleet week” in 2001.

Ex-Westwood Resident August 3, 2011 (10:42 am)

Marie,
You are correct, but that is not the reason as to why there hasn’t been a carrier at Fleet Week. Because all our carriers are now Nuclear, there are restrictions as to where they can tie up. IIRC, the only pier that was available (across from the old cruise ship pier, on the east side of Harbor Island) has lost the required certification for that to happen. The city has refused to get it re-certified and the Navy won’t pay for it for a once-a-year-three-day-visit. IIRC the last carrier moored the was the USS Enterprise.

Marie August 3, 2011 (4:53 pm)

Thank you, Ex-Westwood Resident, for that explanation. My son (who is a nuke) was serving on the USS Stennis when it was here 10 years ago. I am glad he was able to give tours to friends/family during that time, since it sounds like it may be a long time, if ever, that a carrier visits again.

Mr Matt August 3, 2011 (7:23 pm)

Huh, I’ve always wondered since I moved up here why Seattle “Fleet Week’s” seemed to only be the smaller ships. That seems like a pretty reasonable explanation to me, Ex-Westwood.

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