TMJ4 was given exclusive and rare access to the world's largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk, in Virginia. It was part of the Navy's 'Sailor for a Day' program. As part of the program, TMJ4 spoke to sailors from Racine, Milwaukee, and De Pere about life aboard their respective ships. TMJ4's James Groh toured Navy ships, saw their sleeping quarters, rode in a helicopter, and learned what life is like as a young sailor in the Navy. Click on the following links to learn about life on a destroyer, submarine, and dock landing ship.
Life on an aircraft carrier is many things, but to describe it succinctly you can say it's: exciting, intense, and cramped. Trust me, I got to go on one and feel the beds and see the sleeping quarters.
1st Class Petty Officer Preston Moller from De Pere, Wisconsin agrees it's crowded on board. He works on the Navy's newest and largest ship, the $13 billion USS Gerald Ford.
“The weirdest part about living on an aircraft carrier is coping with the lack of space you get. We don’t get very much room for our personal belongings," he said.
Despite the lack of personal space Moller has, the ship is massive. It can carry 75 aircraft. It's a miniature city with roughly 5,000 people living in it while out at sea. While aircraft carriers are mostly known for their size, flashy jets, and impressive onboard arsenal, there is a lot more to the operation of the ship than meets the eye.
“I have a pretty demanding job here on the ship running the nuclear power plants and everything," Moller said.
He is a Machinist Mate Nuclear 1st Class on the Gerald Ford, which is docked at the world’s largest naval base in Norfolk, Virginia. His specialty is the fluid systems onboard the reactor plants. He runs a team that oversees all the steam systems and creates drinking water and manages the lubricating systems for the turbines and propellers.
“Everything from every toilet flush, every glass of water you drink we make fresh here on board from seawater," he said.
Moller said that there isn’t anything like living on an aircraft carrier.
“You can go every day and meet someone new every day," he said.
There is a coffee shop, gym, lounge areas, general stores, places to watch movies, space to play video games, and areas to watch the Packers.
“If we're underway they’ll actually inflate a big screen in the hangar bay to watch whatever NFL game is playing at that time," he said.
The Gerald Ford even has a Big 10-themed cafeteria and of course, the Badgers are featured. President Ford was a huge football fan. In fact, he was offered $110 a weekby the Packers back in 1935 to play center. He declined and eventually became president.
When Moller is on his months-long tour across the globe or docked at the naval base, he isn’t thinking about football, though.
“What I really miss is a lot of the state parks and nature around there. We have a few here in Virginia but it’s nothing like Peninsula State Park."
He has been in the Navy for six years and plans to re-enlist to reach at least 12 years of service. Eventually, he will return to civilian life, and instead of missing Wisconsin’s state parks, he may end up missing his favorite meal on board the aircraft carrier.
“Oh, I love fatterday. They give us wings and pasta and pizza every Saturday for lunch and dinner.”
