The deafening roar of F/A-18E Super Hornets launching off the short deck of an aircraft carrier actually sounds like a angry swam of hornets buzzing, but magnified by a gazillion. The ear drum-splitting rumble and boom of the fighter jets actually gave me chills.
The USS Carl Vinson returns to the San Diego area today after nearly a 10-month deployment where they provided a launch-point of aerial strikes of ISIS installments in Syria and Iraq. The forces conducted maritime security and helped support Operation Inherent Resolve.
The USS Carl Vinson is a U.S. Navy Nimitz class supercarrier named after Carl Vinson, who was a United States Representative from Georgia. He was first politician to serve for more than 50 years in the United States House of Representatives (November 3, 1914 – January 3, 1965). The vast vessel is a remarkable 1,092-feet long and weighs in at 102,900 tons.
The carrier returns home with this extraordinary footage of F-18’s being catapulted off the USS Carl Vinson on their way to dole out heaping helpings of freedom to ISIS. This front row seat of the takeoff of these powerful beasts is awe-inspiring, but lower your volume because this shit is crazy loud.