More RIMPAC

USS OGDEN (LPD-5)
U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 2nd Class Alan D. Monyelle. (RELEASED)

USS Ogden (LPD-5), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Ogden, Utah. Ogden was laid down on 4 February 1963 by the New York Naval Shipyard. She was launched on 27 June 1964 sponsored by Mrs. Laurence J. Burton, and commissioned at New York City on 19 June 1965 with Captain Floyd M. Symons in command. Wikipedia

As some of you may know, The Nuke, The WSO and Little Bit have been visiting since the middle of last week. I have been absent from the blogoverse in all that time.

It's time to make that up to you. While Tuna and Juvat are amazing, incredible and talented guys, who tell amazing tales, etc., etc., they ain't the Old Air Force Sarge. (And I'm sure they are truly thankful for that!)

So, I'm back and I bring pictures and some very crudely edited video shot by our very own LUSH from the back seat of her jet. That footage features the demise of the ex-USS OGDEN.

When I first saw the footage, it rang a number of bells. Recently, Juvat told us the story of his days at sea onboard USS CORONADO, I thought that the silhouettes of OGDEN and CORONADO looked very similar. So a-Googling I went, there to discover that Ogden was an Austin-class LPD. So was CORONADO originally...

USS Coronado (LPD/AGF-11) was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after the city of the same name in the U.S. state of California. She was designed as an Austin-class amphibious transport dock (LPD), one of seven fitted with an additional superstructure level for command ship duties. Wikipedia

So my eyes didn't deceive me! (Today at any rate...)

So with all that being said and without further ado, some RIMPAC pics and a video. All courtesy of the Bullets of VFA-2, specifically LUSH.

The view astern of USS RONALD REAGAN (CVN-76)
(LUSH framed the shot nicely between the Rhino tails!)

JS ISE (DDH 182) with the USS PELELIU (LHA 5) just aft

A nice shot of JS KIRISHIMA (DDG 174) trailed by two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and an
Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate. There is another ship behind the fig but she's obscured.
(I believe that's the USS CHAFEE (DDG-90) to the right of the photo)

That's the view out of The WSO's office, on her way to work.

Like I said, I had to do some editing to get the original video down to a size and format that Blogger was comfortable with. The original is kind of "bouncy" in parts as The WSO was zoomed way in. And she was in a jet. Circling a ship being bombed.

So the "bounciness" is from the original video, the choppy edits are all mine.

That's what comes of getting a cheap tool to convert video formats. (Think "free", nothing cheaper than that. And I never claimed to be anything but cheap frugal.)

UPDATE:

I talked with The WSO today, turns out it was her camera, but a fellow Bullet (Donnie) actually shot the footage.