By Michael Carr - A Boeing C-17 cargo aircraft is a big aircraft, with a wingspan of 169 ft., and length of 174 ft. Her fuselage width is 20 ft. and height is over 12 ft. One hundred and two fully equipped Army paratroopers can fit inside the cargo area. Hundreds of these aircraft were built for military use, and are flown worldwide every day. Chief Warrant Officer John … [Read more...]
Carr: Tropical Storm Barry – Where do we go from here?
By CW4 Michael Carr - Tropical Storm, and potentially Hurricane Barry was heading directly for us. Though still a thousand miles away, which might seem far away, that distance is small when considering the wind radius and forward motion. We needed to make decisions on what we would do, and once those decisions were made we would be unable to change our decisions. Hurricane … [Read more...]
Carr: Searching the Bottom of Long Island Sound
By Michael Carr - We were searching the bottom of Long Island Sound between Old Saybrook CT and Plum Island Long Island, for a 36 ft. powerboat. The boat sank after colliding with a towed barge, filled with concrete. Our search area was approximately 7 miles long, east to west, and 6 miles wide, north to south. It’s a large area to look for a 36 ft. fiberglass boat. No one … [Read more...]
Carr: Building a Log Cabin While Underway
By Michael Carr - Building a log cabin while underway is not easy. But I persisted and built one, many times over. Each time I began constructing the cabin it had subtle variations from the one I had built previously. Maybe bigger windows, an additional room, or a new style foundation. Every facet of the construction was analyzed and considered; type of concrete for the … [Read more...]
Carr: Skipper Wants to See You In His Cabin, Now.
By Michael Carr - “Ensign Carr, the skipper wants to see you in his cabin now, I am here to relieve you of the watch.” I could not speak. “OK,” I finally stuttered. “Shit, what have I done wrong.” No one gets summoned to the Skipper’s cabin during their watch unless there is a real problem. You never want to visit the Skipper’s cabin, ever. “Fuck,” I thought again, what … [Read more...]