Nuclear capable USS Nimitz docks off Chennai; UPA jokers try their best to turn city into thai playground. Just heard stupid Amrican admiral mouthing off on tsunami, of all things.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Nimitz docks, concerns remain
SWATI DAS/TIMES NEWS NETWORK
ON BOARD USS NIMITZ: Amid protests on shore and controversy raging across the country, the USS Nimitz CVN 68 docked outside the Chennai port at 6.45 am on Monday, ushering in a breeze of excitement and a series of events in the city for its 4,600 crew members.
Batch by batch the sailors, trainers and other staff on board are being brought to the city to see what India is like and to witness a major event in Indo-US relationship. Aged between 18 and 40, for most of them it was first visit to India. The youngsters queued up all along the day, waiting to be taken in a ferry to the port, 5 km away. <b>A whopping $1 million will be spent on each day of the stay and entertainment of this huge contingent in Chennai.</b>
One of the biggest ships in the world â it stretches to 4.5 acres and has 23 storeys â hosted a reception in the evening for special Indian invitees on its hangar, which covers the entire length of the ship. A group of reporters from Chennai was taken on board, where the carrier fleet was lined up. It included one of its biggest carriers, E-2C Hawkeye 2000, equipped with early warning systems on weather, specialised computers providing command and control to all air wing assets. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F/A-18A/C Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and SH-60F/H Seahawk too formed the line-up. But ask any sailor where the nuclear weapons are, they would reply: "Frankly, I have not seen any of them on board!"
An equally evading reply came from the commander of the Carrier Strike Group 11, Rear Admiral John Terence Blake, who addressed the media at the Carrier Wing: "We donât disclose the presence or absence of weapons on board. The US policy is that we donât routinely deploy nuclear warheads."
There are two reactors on board that generate the power for the floating city. Blake said none of the nuclear waste is discharged into the sea. The Nimitz has its own radio station, TV channel and newspaper âNimitz Newsâ. "We have 40 journalists and media personnel on board. We double-up as both journalists as well as photographers," said MLSN Duane Devorak.
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Nimitz crew does community service</b>
Sam Daniel
Monday, July 2, 2007 (Chennai)
The controversy surrounding the docking of the USS Nimitz in Chennai doesn't seem to have worried the crew, as <b>they spent their day making a difference to the lives of little children.
</b>
Hours after the ship docked in Chennai, <b>its volunteers hit the streets beginning their community service projects at three locations, including two homes for children.</b>
It was hard work with a smile, as they leveled the ground, lay new pathways and painted the classrooms.
For many of them, it was a learning experience on the difficult life in developing countries.
<b>And for the children who benefited from this work, it was hard to believe that their homes were transformed in a day.</b>
Moreover, they relished the opportunity to shake hands, talk and take pictures with pilots and sailors.
They say that the quality time the crew spent with them will always be memorable.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Nimitz docks, concerns remain
SWATI DAS/TIMES NEWS NETWORK
ON BOARD USS NIMITZ: Amid protests on shore and controversy raging across the country, the USS Nimitz CVN 68 docked outside the Chennai port at 6.45 am on Monday, ushering in a breeze of excitement and a series of events in the city for its 4,600 crew members.
Batch by batch the sailors, trainers and other staff on board are being brought to the city to see what India is like and to witness a major event in Indo-US relationship. Aged between 18 and 40, for most of them it was first visit to India. The youngsters queued up all along the day, waiting to be taken in a ferry to the port, 5 km away. <b>A whopping $1 million will be spent on each day of the stay and entertainment of this huge contingent in Chennai.</b>
One of the biggest ships in the world â it stretches to 4.5 acres and has 23 storeys â hosted a reception in the evening for special Indian invitees on its hangar, which covers the entire length of the ship. A group of reporters from Chennai was taken on board, where the carrier fleet was lined up. It included one of its biggest carriers, E-2C Hawkeye 2000, equipped with early warning systems on weather, specialised computers providing command and control to all air wing assets. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F/A-18A/C Hornet, EA-6B Prowler and SH-60F/H Seahawk too formed the line-up. But ask any sailor where the nuclear weapons are, they would reply: "Frankly, I have not seen any of them on board!"
An equally evading reply came from the commander of the Carrier Strike Group 11, Rear Admiral John Terence Blake, who addressed the media at the Carrier Wing: "We donât disclose the presence or absence of weapons on board. The US policy is that we donât routinely deploy nuclear warheads."
There are two reactors on board that generate the power for the floating city. Blake said none of the nuclear waste is discharged into the sea. The Nimitz has its own radio station, TV channel and newspaper âNimitz Newsâ. "We have 40 journalists and media personnel on board. We double-up as both journalists as well as photographers," said MLSN Duane Devorak.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>
Nimitz crew does community service</b>
Sam Daniel
Monday, July 2, 2007 (Chennai)
The controversy surrounding the docking of the USS Nimitz in Chennai doesn't seem to have worried the crew, as <b>they spent their day making a difference to the lives of little children.
</b>
Hours after the ship docked in Chennai, <b>its volunteers hit the streets beginning their community service projects at three locations, including two homes for children.</b>
It was hard work with a smile, as they leveled the ground, lay new pathways and painted the classrooms.
For many of them, it was a learning experience on the difficult life in developing countries.
<b>And for the children who benefited from this work, it was hard to believe that their homes were transformed in a day.</b>
Moreover, they relished the opportunity to shake hands, talk and take pictures with pilots and sailors.
They say that the quality time the crew spent with them will always be memorable.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->