by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
A pair of Jacksonville City Council members got a look Sunday at how a floating city operates.
Council President Kevin Hyde and vice president Michael Corrigan spent their weekend on board the “Big E”. The USS Enterprise is the world’s first nuclear aircraft carrier. Corrigan and Hyde were part of a contingent of public officials invited to the carrier to watch preparations for an overseas deployment.
Hyde and Corrigan started their Sunday morning by strapping themselves into a C-2 Cod Navy Jet. About an hour later the jet touched down on the Enterprise’s deck: 300 yards of blacktop surrounded by thousands of square miles of ocean.
Corrigan described the landing as “picture perfect.” Impressive considering high winds made the ride bumpier than a Council workshop on the County Courthouse.
“We heard it was going to be windy, and you could really tell once you got up in the air,” said Corrigan. “It was pretty topsy turvy up there. We had to be waved off from landing once, but circled around for a perfect landing.”
Corrigan’s admiration only grew once the plane touched down. The Enterprise is home to almost 5,000 sailors and pilots. Corrigan described it as “a city run by 18 to 21 year-olds.”
Corrigan said government and the private sector could learn a lot by watching the teamwork on board the Enterprise.
Corrigan and Hyde got a front-row seat to watch jets land and launch by catapult. A comprehensive ship tour gave them a look at the myriad operations necessary to keep a ship three-quarters of mile long running smoothly.
“You watch at how quickly they can react to any situation. Every operation is almost like a symphony they put on with all the moving parts,” he said. “From the people flying the fighters to the people dropping the anchor, everybody was convinced that their job was the most important on the ship and acted accordingly.
“They understand that if the simple jobs aren’t done correctly that the more complex operations become impossible.”
The sailors were equally impressed with Jacksonville, according to intelligence gathered by Corrigan. Most of the sailors had either spent time in Jacksonville already or were angling to get there, he said.
Most telling, many of the sailors who had spent time in Jacksonville were planning on returning for retirement.
“It’s obvious that Jacksonville is a very well-liked port,” he said. “We’re doing the right thing as a city to welcome the Navy here. We have a great reputation in the Navy.”
A large part of Jacksonville’s military presence is in Corrigan’s district. Even with Jacksonville Naval Air Station in his district, Corrigan said the 24-hour tour on board the Enterprise served as a reminder of the difficulty of military life.
“Even with everything that’s going on now I think our military is under appreciated a little bit,” said Corrigan. “I spent 24 hours on a carrier and that was long enough for me. These kids spend six months out to sea never seeing friends or family.”