U.S. Navy Travel
Bill, 1947 to 1950---Brian 1978 to 1996-------Barry, 2000-------Glenn Karrmann
These U.S. Navy ships provided me, my son Brian and his son Barry, with experiences and world travel at early stages in our lives. The experience helped to forge our future in ways we never would have expected. Brian's daughter, Marilou and her husband Rick, are also both in the Navy, currently based in Hawaii. My step-son-in-law Glenn Karrmann, is serving his 20th year in the Navy, stationed at Willow Grove Air Base in Pennsylvania.
Bill Effinger:
USS
Mount Mckinley--AGC7
This was the ship my group, TACRON-3, was assigned to for close air support operations. When not aboard this ship, we were stationed at North Island Naval Air Station, San Diego. I served with TACRON-3 during 1948 and 1949, and made one major cruise to the Hawaiian Islands with a large battle group and fleet for a training exercise. Shortly after my discharge fro the Navy, the Mount Mckinley, always a flag ship when under sail, was the command ship for General Douglas MacArthur, when he commanded the landing of our troops in Korea for the Korean Conflict. Tacron-3 was a significant part of the initial invasion of Korea by our troops.
Brian Effinger:
USS
America--CVA-66
Brian
made a good will cruise to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during June and July of
1977 while assigned to the America. He received the traditional "Shellback"
initiation on this cruise for crossing the Equator the first time.
USS
Constellation--CV-64
Aboard the Constellation, Brian participated in his second WESTPAC cruise from April to October 1987. He again visited Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Perth Australia, Diego Garcia. Worthy of note here, while Brian was serving on the Constellation, the USS Stark, cruising in Persian Gulf waters was hit by two French made Exocet missiles fired by an Iraqi F-1 Mirage, killing 37 U.S. sailors and nearly sinking the ship. The Constellation battle group was immediately dispatched to the gulf by President Reagan to provide protection from other possible Iraqi attacks.
USS
Norton Sound--AVM-1
The
Norton Sound was a missile testing platform for the Aegis/Tomahawk missile
and ASROC/VLS launching system; Brian made several short underway periods
in the Pacific Missile Range for testing of those fire control systems from
Dec 1984 - Dec 1986. Subsequently Brian participated in
decommissioning the ship in December 1986.
USS
Ranger--CV-61
Brian's
squadron was aboard the Ranger with Carrier Air Wing 15 for work-ups leading
up to their next WESTPAC deployment before he was transferred to shore duty
in Idaho to receive special training.
USS
Enterprise--CVN-65
When assigned to the Enterprise, Brian and the Enterprise crew joined the WESTPAC cruise from April to October 1978. The ship and crew visited Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Perth, Australia and Diego Garcia.
USS
Enterprise--CVN-65
This photo was circulated along with the accompanying story, on the internet as a joke. However by a coincidence, Brian was aboard the Enterprise, and witnessed the actual launching of this car as he relates below the joke story.
Subject:
FW: Taliban Prisoners Released
The Pentagon revealed today that four high-ranking Taliban prisoners
suspected of having close ties to Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda
terrorist network were released from custody early this morning.
The prisoners were captured during the furious battle at Tora Bora in
Afghanistan during December, 2001 and had been held captive for CIA,
DIA and FBI intelligence debriefings for nearly thirteen months aboard
the
aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65).
The prisoners were provided $50 cash each and a white 1963 Ford
Fairlane for their return trip home to Saudi Arabia.
Navy photographers aboard the Enterprise captured the above photo
as the prisoners departed the ship.
###
Dad:
This
picture has been making the rounds all over the internet, and the interesting
part for me is that I was on the Enterprise when this car was shot off the
catapult. They set this up to give the kids a thrill during the "Tiger
Cruise," which was an opportunity for the kids of the sailors onboard
the ship to cruise back with us from Pearl Harbor to Oakland. The car
they used was a '61 Plymouth which belonged to the Marine Corps detachment
on the ship; it was their duty vehicle in the Philippines whenever we pulled
into Subic Bay. They decided since the thing didn't even run anymore
that they would gut it, take it home with us and launch it off the flight
deck. I got to see it in person. This was the cruise I made in
'78, shortly after Mindy & I got married. I have the same photo
in my cruise book; the caption reads, "Now launch the alert Plymouth!"
Brian
Brian & Barry Effinger:
USS
Nimitz--CVN-68
While assigned to the Nimitz, Brian was deployed from February to August 1993 to the Indian Ocean for Operation Southern Watch in the Persian Gulf. During that tour, Brian visited Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai UAE, Bahrain, and Pattaya Beach Thailand.
My grandson Barry, Brian's son, is now serving aboard the Nimitz which is currently on station in the gulf (March 2003) supporting ground troops in the battle for freedom in Iraq. The USS Nimitz maintains a web site at http://www.navy.mil/homepages/cvn68/
USS
O'Kane DDG-77
Grand-Son-in-law Rick Meyers, is stationed aboard the Hawaii based O'Kane as an Intelligence specialist. The O'Kane maintains a web site at http://www.o-kane.navy.mil