Steel Beach Picnic

Lazy sonar techs...
You never knew that a Vertical Launching System could be used to hold soda and potato salad.
Even the overcooked burgers are great in the middle of the ocean.

San Diego

Together again.
Half the Pile clan, the mentally retarded half...
Military material.
Allie, probably on her cell phone.

San Diego

Mom and Allie

+ Dad
Ben and Audre were trying to get as close to the water as they could...

San Diego

I was able to spend a few hours with family when we pulled into San Diego. Spent the first night at Greg and Kim's house. The crew watching American Idol bloopers, a must see.
Two of my favorite babes - mom and my cousin Melanee.

Last sight of land BBQ

We had a BBQ a day or two before we got underway for COMPTUEX. I'm holding Bobby's little one.

He definitely doesn't lack attention. Stewie having her turn.

A few of the gang.

Out to sea...

It has been a while since I have been able to put up new pictures. We have been off the coast of California participating in an exercise called COMPTUEX. Its been six weeks of non-stop exercises. We are finally on our way back to the island. We have been training with the John C. Stenis strike group, the battle group we will be deploying with in January. I have quite a few good pictures, they should be up when I get back. They let us go without shaving for the last few days underway. Its funny that something so small can make everybody that much happier. Going five days without shaving is almost as good as getting a pay raise.... well, maybe not.

With the completion of COMPTUEX, the JCS strike group (including the O'Kane) is now surge capable. If something of importance occurs in the world, we would be the first strike group deployed (up to 96-hour notice) in the Pacific Fleet.

here are some interesting links:

"Stennis Completes COMPTUEX"
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2003/12/mil-031204-nns04.htm

"Stennis Strike Group Approaches 'Surge Readiness'"
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=26060

"Stennis Strike Group Takes ASW from Classroom to Ocean"
http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=25620

JCS Strike Group Web Site
http://www.cvn74.navy.mil/

RimPac '06

RimPac was a bit long for underway but otherwise it was pretty sweet. A lot of countries with a lot of ships. The base was pretty full. Most of the pictures were taken during the last day, during a photo exercise. We were the only ship not to get "shot" during the war games. All in all it was 21 days of war games and tactical exercises.

This is a link to the official site with more pictures.

http://www.c3f.navy.mil/RIMPAC_2006/

RimPac'06

USS Abraham Lincoln, nuclear carrier
Sea Hawk

RimPac '06

USS Chafee
A Japanese destroyer and one of their diesel submarines
I thought it was funny that even in the middle of the ocean there was a Japanese guy taking pictures.
A shot of about half the task force involved in RimPac.

Fourth of July

Breathing fire
definitely not a good idea

RimPac '06

In port prior to RimPac.
SH-60B

RimPac '06

O'Kane, all dressed out.
Japanese Australians
Moored outboard of the USS Chafee.

Alaksa - 'Northern Edge'

Well, we just finished our 3 1/2 week trek to Alaska for Northern Edge - a joint Army, Air Force, Navy excercise. We pulled into a small fishing town called Homer. It actually turned out to be a pretty cool little town, tons of fishermen. I think the population was about 5,000. Alaska was quite a change from Hawaii, water temp dropped to 45 degrees plus a wicked wind chill. It is also daylight in Alaska for about 22 hours out of the day.

A bunch of us sonar techs also decided to grow mustaches for our trek. I was the only one that kept it the entire time, you might notice a strange fuzzy thing above my lip in the pictures.

We did a few things underway: whale watching, helo operations on the flight deck, gun qualifications in the freezing cold and we also got a fly-over by the new F-22 Raptor on the last day of the Air Force excercise. All in all it was a good trip.

En route Hawaii, Pizza Night

Every Saturday underway we have pizza night. The cooks take the night off and one of the departments on the ship invades the galley and makes pizza for dinner. It was Combat Systems making the pizza this night, always with the disco tunes blasting. You would dance like this if you were underway.
We make some pretty serious pizza, way too much cheese and meat. They make some so dangerous they warrant nicknames like "the Heart Attack" and "Cholesterol Attack."

Alaska - "Northern Edge"

On one of the days during the exercise off the coast we heard a huge pod of killer whales on sonar (which is common). We usually wouldn't mind but since we weren't actually in transit anywhere they stopped the ship and we went topside and went whale watching. They were a ways off so the quality isn't that hot.
This is on the foc'sle of the ship, behind the 5" gun. It was about 2am when I took this picture, about as dark as it got.
Hard at work during a sonar exercise.

Alaska

Across the harbor, the far edge of a massive glacier.

Plenty of sea gulls.
Pulling out of Alaska.

Alaska

Homer is a big fishing town, tons of crab fishermen. For those fans of the Discover Channel show 'Deadliest Catch,' here I am in front of a stack of crab pods. One of the boats on the show was pulled into Homer while we were there.
A shot of the harbor from the tiny town. If you look closely you can see the O-Kane moored in the harbor in the distance.
The fishing docks, at 10:30pm.
Fishing docks.