# Anyone watch "Carrier" on PBS last night? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 28, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223 "2008-04-28T15:08:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/81 "2008-04-29T18:11:29Z")
Spaketh **What Exit?** – _“I was a snipe, not a fresh air sailor.”_ Snipes and nukes have but one thing in common: their sickly, fish-belly pale complexions. But they do wear them proudly… ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/82 "2008-04-29T18:16:38Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] **mlees** : We had hot and cold water in port and at sea. What helped was we were friends with the HT (Hull Techs) and they used our showers too. There were some few benefits to being a snipe. Our hours were the worst, but our equipment always worked. [/QUOTE] [sup]Lucky dog[/sup] > [@What Exit?](#): > > We just wrapped a piece of rubber tape around the button. I recall that worked well. I have no idea why I didn’t try to figure out a way around this little challenge… I guess I had more fun feeling like the Navy was deliberately and directly f\*\*king with me. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/83 "2008-04-29T18:21:14Z")
[QUOTE=ChiefScott] Spaketh **What Exit?** – _“I was a snipe, not a fresh air sailor.”_ Snipes and nukes have but one thing in common: their sickly, fish-belly pale complexions. But they do wear them proudly… [/QUOTE] A couple of comments here: nukes **are** snipes; and if you think snipes are pale, check out the radiomen. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/84 "2008-04-29T18:25:48Z")
[QUOTE=OtakuLoki] nukes **are** snipes [/QUOTE] Yeah. I’d like to see you argue _that_ one with a real snipe! ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/85 "2008-04-29T18:29:55Z")
[QUOTE=ChiefScott] Spaketh **What Exit?** – _“I was a snipe, not a fresh air sailor.”_ Snipes and nukes have but one thing in common: their sickly, fish-belly pale complexions. But they do wear them proudly… [/QUOTE] I came home for a leave and my Mom thought I was sick, she said I looked grayish and my skin was translucent. I was pale as a ghost at times. Snipes: “Heaven won’t have us and Hell is afraid we’ll take over.” Of course any MM or BT will tell you that EMs were not real snipes either unless we worked in the main-spaces with them and did a few times in the bilges. You had to win their respect. Our favorite acronyms: FTN: Fuck the Navy FUBAR: Fucked Up Beyond Repair Bohica: Bend over, here it comes again. NAVY: Never Again Volunteer yourself. I have also spent the last 18+ years breaking myself of the habit of cursing every other word. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/86 "2008-04-29T18:33:34Z")
[QUOTE=ChiefScott] Yeah. I’d like to see you argue _that_ one with a real snipe! [/QUOTE] As long as I get to bring The Persuader along, I’m game. (The Persuader being the four foot crescent wrench we had in each engineroom.) ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/87 "2008-04-29T19:17:35Z")
Little Creek Lolitas called my dick “The Persuader” for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/88 "2008-04-29T19:24:27Z")
[QUOTE=ChiefScott] Little Creek Lolitas called my dick “The Persuader” for the same reason. [/QUOTE] You wish. You were probably out every amateur night chasing Westpac widows and Bosnias. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/89 "2008-04-29T19:25:42Z")
[QUOTE=ChiefScott] Little Creek Lolitas called my dick “The Persuader” for the same reason. [/QUOTE] Because of all the sailors who have handled it? ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/90 "2008-04-29T19:50:17Z")
Yuk. Yuk. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/91 "2008-04-29T20:06:14Z")
It’s moving to damn slow for me. Some of it is really interesting, but then much of it is just not really interesting at all. I think I’m done after the first 2 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/92 "2008-04-29T20:10:02Z")
“Hands to main-mast braces! Hauling port, easing starboard! Let go and haul! That’s well on the royal! Well on t’gallant!..”" ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/93 "2008-04-29T21:10:54Z")
What’s a Little Creek Lolita? Is it anyting like a Shit River Queen? (the Shit River Queens stood in boats in the open sewer that divided Olongopo Phillipines from Subic Bay Naval Station. They’d flash their goods so sailors would toss pesos into the “water” for little boys to dive in after. After the Marcos era ended. walls wer put up along the bridge.) Which reminds me of another phrase often heard: “I love you Joe, no shit! You pay my bar fine?” ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/94 "2008-04-30T04:07:04Z")
I’ve been disappointed in the series. It’s one long interview. I realize it’s about the human element of the ship but I would like to see more of what they’re actually doing. Too many of the same shots of aircraft launching and not enough of the working guts. I had to go online and research the towbar setup to see it work (they’re integral to the aircraft now). As I’m typing this they’re showing 1 second clips of the launch crew. Damn annoying. During a segment on the off shore oil platform they inserted a 1 second clip of women fighting. WTF? Did I miss something? Take your quick clips and stuff it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/95 "2008-04-30T04:07:32Z")
Another good pair of episodes tonight (Tuesday), I thought. Some more questions and observations: Why mount Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on the F/A-18s flying over Iraq? There’d never be anything to shoot them at, and the weight could mean better fuel economy/range or the chance to carry an extra bomb, wouldn’t it? “Everybody leaves the squadron after three years” - huh? A million bucks to train him and he only flies for three years there? Why not have a tighter-knit squadron with pilots who stay as long as they want to? Good to see more about the Marines aboard. I was surprised by how much they showed of the admiral’s intel briefing, incl. the slides about the situation on the ground in Iraq, and the admiral’s CIC screens. Funny to see the _Nimitz_’s captain there in a white jersey with his rank eagle and the initials “C.O.” so big on the front - almost like a Navy superhero. There was passing reference to a commodore being involved in the briefing - I thought those were “rear admiral, lower half” now? (I personally prefer the term “commodore”). One SEAL in the entire carrier battle group - ha! I’d like to see some pilot’s-eye views of carrier landings, incl. seeing “the meatball” and being waved off, or missing the cables and having to go full-throttle back off the deck. They’ve already shown us a zillion takeoffs and landings from deck level. The failed search for the missing sailor from the _Princeton_ was sad. How many man-overboard incidents or searches like that in a typical cruise? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/96 "2008-04-30T04:25:21Z")
Back to the show. Two more episodes tonight–hours 5 &6. Tonight they turned the focus back on the combat aspect with “Show of Force”, and the tedium associated with day after day on station in “Groundhog Day.” Perfect title for the second episode. I know just what that sailor with the girlfriend (Tanya) back home is going through. The girlfriend is an immature twit, and he’s immature too, and painfully insecure about her lack of communication. With good reason, I might add–she’s probably screwing around on him already, depending on how far along she is in her pregnancy. They really nailed that pilot who landed in Baghdad to the wall, didn’t they? I feel bad for the guy. I was shocked when it turned out that he wouldn’t be flying for the rest of the cruise. Nothing like sitting around with your thumb up your ass to get you back in the game. :rolleyes: It was pretty obvious from the start that there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that they were going to find the missing sailor from the USS Princeton. I’m glad they did a thorough search, but I got the distinct impression that the admiral was putting on a show of concern for the camera crew. Did they ever show the crew from the Iraqi fishing boat again? Why exactly did they think that they were going to be compensated for their vessel, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/97 "2008-04-30T04:35:20Z")
[QUOTE=robby] …Did they ever show the crew from the Iraqi fishing boat again? Why exactly did they think that they were going to be compensated for their vessel, anyway? [/QUOTE] No, never saw 'em again. As for the request for compensation… any country that can afford a warship as big as the _Nimitz_ can fork over some $$$ to replace a fishing boat, right? Especially since it would never have sunk if those American sailors hadn’t tried to help! :rolleyes: 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/98 "2008-04-30T04:43:29Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] “Everybody leaves the squadron after three years” - huh? A million bucks to train him and he only flies for three years there? Why not have a tighter-knit squadron with pilots who stay as long as they want to? [/QUOTE] Military personnel need to maintain upward career progression, which includes normal rotations, or they don’t promote. He may be needed to train new pilots, for example, and relieve another pilot who needs to get back to the fleet. He already had extended six months past his normal rotation date. [QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] I was surprised by how much they showed of the admiral’s intel briefing, incl. the slides about the situation on the ground in Iraq, and the admiral’s CIC screens. [/quote] Me, too. This all must have been cleared by the Navy–I suspect that’s why it’s taken three years since it was filmed. [QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] There was passing reference to a commodore being involved in the briefing - I thought those were “rear admiral, lower half” now? (I personally prefer the term “commodore”). [/quote] “Commodore” is indeed no longer a rank. It is, however, back to being the name for a billet (i.e. job). A commodore is the commanding officer of a group of commands. For example, the CO of a submarine squadron (composed of numerous subs) is the squadron commodore. His rank is Captain (O-6). The individual submarine commanding officers are referred to as captains of the subs, while their rank is usually Commander (O-5). Confused yet? ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/99 "2008-04-30T04:54:54Z")
[QUOTE=Elendil’s Heir] Funny to see the _Nimitz_’s captain there in a white jersey with his rank eagle and the initials “C.O.” so big on the front - almost like a Navy superhero. [/QUOTE] I’ve been trying to figure out the uniforms the whole show. When I was on board a submarine, we were only allowed to wear blue coveralls when submerged. As soon as we surfaced, we were required to switch back to khakis (officers and chiefs) and dungarees (junior enlisted). The Navy has evidently allowed the surface fleet to wear blue coveralls at sea. However, these Nimitz sailors seem to wear whatever the hell they want. I understand the flight deck guys, but the rest of the crew seems to wear a weird hodgepodge of uniforms. I don’t know what the hell that white jersey the CO was wearing was supposed to be. ---
**Author:** ![ChiefScott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2008, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223/100 "2008-04-30T11:39:02Z")
The colored shirts are to tell what someone’s responsibility is on the flight deck. Yellow – handlers… they are responsible for moving the planes; Red – Ordies… handle the ammunition; Blue – Chain Gang… they tie down the planes; Purple – Grapes… they fuel the aircraft; Brown – Plane captains… enlisted folks who are responsible for a specific plane; Silver – firefighters; white – Safety… also used for photographers, DVs, and just about anyone else who may go onto the flight deck but doesn’t fall into one of the above categories. Anyone working on the flight deck must wear a jersey. If their primary duty is on the flight deck, they wear their jersey the rest of the time. They wear blue utility trousers with the jerseys. Lower enlisted (E1-E6) wear coveralls stitched in white. Chiefs and officers wear coveralls stitched in yellow – or they may wear khakis – or they may wear a jersey (if their primary duty is on the flight deck) with khaki trousers. The Skipper can damn well wear whatever he wants. He’s the skipper. It really does makes sense when you are immersed in the culture. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-watch-carrier-on-pbs-last-night/447223.md?page=6)