Since I have been out of the Marine Corps for more than 27 years and was never great at ship identification, some of the ID's may not be completely accurate.
The first picture is one of our new destroyer type ships, followed by two pictures of the LHA's (Landing Helicopter Assault) ships which are designed to carry Marines, their amphibious assault vehicles and all their tactical aircraft/helicopters at one time. On the stern of the second LHA is a Harrier Jump Jet that is designed to take off and land vertically. The Marine Corps is the only U.S. service that flies the Harrier.
The last three photos of ships are of the CVA class of carrier. The CVA designates a ship as C Carrier V for fixed wing aircraft only and A for attack. These nuclear powered warships are the United States primary means of projecting power to any potential enemy. I believe the last picture of the CVA is of the new, under construction CVA the USS Ronald Reagan. It is sad that President Reagan did not live to see one of the largest and most powerful warships ever made be named in his honor.
Once through Norfolk and past Hampton Roads we were actually in the largest estuary in the U.S., the Chesapeake Bay. This is where we will spend the next few weeks exploring the many towns and villages on both the eastern and western shores.
After getting clear of the heavy shipping lanes and well into the bay, it was time to open up the throttles and bring the turbo charged engines up to speed, after several days running at basically idle speed through the Great Dismal Swamp and on into Norfolk with its many no wake or minimum wake zones.
The video shows me on the sun-deck looking over the stern as Sara drives the boat at a fast pace up the Chesapeake and past one of the many lighthouses that are still maintained in working order. This particular lighthouse happens to be the Wolf Trap light in the Southern Chesapeake.
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