By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach Public Affairs
YOKOSUKA, Japan- A Jackson, Mississippi, native and 2005 Forest Hill High School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
Petty Officer 1st Class Nicholas Pendleton is an aerographer’s mate aboard the aircraft carrier operating out of Yokosuka, Japan.
A Navy aerographer’s mate is responsible for the ship’s meteorological and oceanographic reports. They are trained in the science of meteorology and oceanography and the instruments that monitor weather characteristics such as air pressure, temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction.
Pendleton is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Jackson.
“I learned from my parents that you need to respect others and to treat others the way you want to be treated,” said Pendleton. “This has helped me in the Navy because it’s such a diverse group of people.”
Moments like that make it worth it serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy's presence in Yokosuka is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
Named in honor of former President Ronald Reagan, the carrier is longer than three football fields, measuring nearly 1,100 feet. The ship, a true floating city, weighs more than 100,000 tons and has a flight deck that is 252 feet wide. Two nuclear reactors can push the ship through the water at more than 35 mph.
Powerful catapults slingshot the aircraft off the bow of the ship. The planes land aboard the carrier by snagging a steel cable with an arresting hook that protrudes from the rear of the aircraft.
“Being forward deployed here you feel the tension just because of where we are located,” said Pendleton. “It’s good to know that we are here because we are prepared to be a better force.”
Pendleton is also proud of the type of job he has. He is confident that he can support the mission by advising the crew of the weather forecast so they are more prepared.
Sailors’ jobs are highly varied aboard the carrier. Approximately 3,200 men and women make up the ship's crew, which keeps all parts of the aircraft carrier running smoothly -- this includes everything from washing dishes and preparing meals to handling weaponry and maintaining the nuclear reactors. Another 2,500 men and women form the air wing responsible for flying and maintaining more than 70 aircraft aboard the ship.
Ronald Reagan, like each of the Navy’s aircraft carriers, is designed for a 50-year service life. When the air wing is embarked, the ship carries more than 70 attack jets, helicopters and other aircraft, all of which take off from and land aboard the carrier at sea.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Pendleton and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"I would not be the person I am now or have had the experiences I’ve had if it wasn’t for joining the Navy,” said Pendleton. “Being over here is fun because I have the opportunity to live and explore in another county.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 Sailors in the 7th Fleet.