military@cbnews.ATT.COM (William B. Thacker) (07/24/89)
From: arpa!att!ncr-sd!ncrlnk!ncrcce!ncrcce.StPaul.NCR.COM!rogers Ed Hollinger asks about information on ships at Norfolk Naval Base. This reply may be too late to help him but may interest others. While traveling in the area in June, I took a 2 hour sightseeing tour from "Harbor Cruises at Wharton's Wharf" in Newport News, VA. This trip brings you past the ship yard and the naval base. The new carrier "Abraham Lincoln" is being fitted out in the ship yard. Several subs were visible under construction and at the nuke refueling dock (where there is an interesting barge used to transport spent fuel). You also get a nice look at the mothballed liner "United States" (does it really have aircraft carrier engines originally meant for the "Forrestal"?). Of course lots of ships are to be seen at the base and the tour boat passes fairly close to them. The tour guide's commentary is pretty good - they keep track of which ships are in port and provide more detailed technical information than you would expect. I saw one sub in a floating drydock; the propeller was covered with a tarp for (I suppose) security reasons. A worthwhile tour for those interested in naval matters or for anyone looking for a nice excursion.