Curzon tours the Kitty Hawk!

Posted on 9/17/2006 by Curzon


Taking off!

Two weeks ago, regular reader Eddie Beaver invited me on the first civilian tour of the USS Kitty Hawk in more than five years. I eagerly accepted — and today, Lady Curzon and I joined the “Tiger Cruise,” a tough way for the navy to say “bring your friends and family to work.”

The ship left Yokosuka Naval Base at 7 a.m. (meaning a very, very early departure from Tokyo) and the day tour included a cruise in Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean, tours of the ship and life at sea, and a flight show that included a Super Hornet breaking the sound barrier. Shots of the carrier’s “birds” follow, and I’ll have more of the Kitty Hawk itself and life on board tomorrow.


“Cute kid. Did someone make sure the safety is on?”


Soaring over the flight deck.


A shot of the ‘Hawkeye’ just as the rear wheels are about to break contact with the flight deck. The plane then dropped several yards before picking up enough speed and power to achieve a proper lift-off. Although my camera speed was about 1/750, notice how the propellers’ white trails show up in the picture.


Close-up of the helicopter blade axis (while stationary).


A white sheen “shock collars” surrounds the plane as it approaches the sound barrier.


Two fighters and a Hawkeye seen from the control tower.

More photos to come, stay tuned.

About Curzon

Lord George Nathaniel Curzon (1859 - 1925) entered the British House of Commons as a Conservative MP in 1886, where he served as undersecretary of India and Foreign Affairs. He was appointed Viceroy of India at the turn of the 20th century where he delineated the North West Frontier Province, ordered a military expedition to Tibet, and unsuccessfully tried to partition the province of Bengal during his six-year tenure. Curzon served as Leader of the House of Lords in Prime Minister Lloyd George's War Cabinet and became Foreign Secretary in January 1919, where his most famous act was the drawing of the Curzon Line between a new Polish state and Russia. His publications include Russia in Central Asia (1889) and Persia and the Persian Question (1892). In real life, "Curzon" is a US citizen from the East Coast who has been a financial analyst, freelance translator, and university professor; he is currently on assignment in Tokyo.
This entry was posted in Nippon, Photography and tagged , . Bookmark the permalink.

7 Responses to Curzon tours the Kitty Hawk!

  1. Chirol says:
    9/17/2006 at 1:25 pm

    Amazing. I’m insanely jealous! Can’t wait for the next installment.

  2. Sean says:
    9/17/2006 at 3:16 pm

    {swoons from jealousy}

  3. Darin says:
    9/17/2006 at 3:17 pm

    So jealous indeed! I wish I wasn’t in ‘the old country’ right now and could have snuck on board or something.

  4. Younghusband says:
    9/17/2006 at 4:06 pm

    Absolutely GREEN with jealousy now! Brilliant pics Curz, and _wot wot_ to Eddie!

  5. Jing says:
    9/17/2006 at 4:49 pm

    Actually the aircraft is not breaking the sound barrier, the humidity cloud is a result of the Prandt-Glauert singularity.

  6. Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace says:
    9/17/2006 at 11:35 pm

    Jing is correct, although the first name is Prandtl. Fascinating to read about the effect; try “here”:http://www.fluidmech.net/tutorials/sonic/prandtl-glauert-clouds.htm and “here.”:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prandtl-Glauert_Singularity.

    Poor old Glauert was apparently ‘ killed by a chance fragment of a tree that was being blown up on Aldershot Common.” !!

    But what a fabulous trip for Lord and Lady Curzon – our tax dollars at work!

  7. Pingback: ComingAnarchy.com » Blog Archive » Life on the Kitty Hawk: