Hi our friend, & Thank you ! Come and & visit USA sometime. Hawaii and Pearl Harbor is close to you.You can see the Arizona memorial & USS Missouri where Japan surrendered on. Battleships still are so cool looking.
That's a great tour from a harbor tour boat. Best way to see it. I have to correct you though, the Navy Base is not right next to Nauticus and the USS Wisconsin. There are some contractor yards and dry docks. Navy base is a few miles up river closer to the bay. You can see it from I-64 when you cross the Hampton Roads Tunnel. What IS cool is seeing a carrier navigating down to a yard past Nauticus!
Great to see your tour of the base. There are a lot more ships setup by MARAD in this general area for cargo and wartime supply duties not even seen in this video. The shipyards are huge, was living at Ft. Lee back around 1990-92 time frame and was able to spend some time at Norfolk Navy Base, very impressive. Thanks for sharing. Love seeing the Wisconsin! Beautiful!
oh man, what an interesting clip! I can't comprehend the amount of sheer naval power and amazing hardware and equipment that is combined here. you rarely get to see any of it, not to mention so many ships at once all in one place at the same time. never seen so many mighty military vessels in one place. thanks for taking and sharing this video Chris!. :)
Totally man! This is a tour I've been wanting to take for quite some time. All the billions of horsepower, firepower, and everything else that comes with it. Thanks for the kind comments, Great to hear from you!
In the eighties there were no floats/fences around the ships .our tour operator got us up close and personal before security came out to chase us off .He said it was a daily game and essentially a part of the tour . Different times .
They've really changed the pier numbers at Norfolk. They used to start at the carrier piers and number upstream for the main base, then there were the "D&S" piers where the destroyers and subs were based, with their own numbering system. The piers on the main base mostly housed cargo and auxillary ships, including two tenders which might have destroyers or subs moored outboard. There was also an enclosed set of piers where all the tugs were moored.
I haven’t been to the Iowa in Los Angeles, but I just went to the Wisconsin and Naval Ship Building in Newport News. In 2019 they’re constructing a new Aircraft Carrier! Amazing it’s definitely a largest Port Merchant and Navy, but the Bay&James River are an amazing gateway out to the Atlantic! You need the largest shipyard to dock the USS Wisconsin and build more ships of that size! No wonder it’s the largest naval shipyard and they build all new naval ships at Norfolk! Everyone will have a new appreciation for the U.S. Navy if they visit Norfolk rather than just watching on television or reading history books!
Brilliant stuff - only in the USA - As a Brit I'd would love to visit this place one day, but don't think the wife would be best pleased - thank you DtRockstar -great video!
She's a good woman, wise enough to know she doesn't understand everything that's important to you, but because she loves you, she'll come with you and rejoice in your happiness.
Well, all you have to do is take a trip to Norfolk Virginia and go to Nauticus and buy a ticket for a 2 hour cruise aboard the Victory Rover along the Elizabeth River which includes what you have seen, but there is a lot more to be seen. Ticket cost is $25 for adult. Buy a combo ticket for $36 and you can go aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin BB 64.There is also a dinner cruise. I have been on both daylight and dinner cruises and aboard the Wisconsin and enjoyed it all.Watching this makes me want to go back.
@@9johnpaul Hey ... "Thank you" for that Cruise tour information ... Much appreciated !!! Planning a trip down to Va Beach to visit family... I WILL include time for this GREAT tour !!
Boy I miss that I was stationed there for 8 years and was in 3 squadrons and deployed on the USS GUAM and USS GUADALCANAL both LPH CLASS and stationed in NOB Norfolk I worked on the flight deck when deployed hard to believe it’s been 20 years since I left the Navy
I left Norfolk in 2003. Was stationed on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 out of Little Creek and USS Wasp LHD 1. Had 2 tours of shore duty at FCTCLANT Dam Neck Operations Specialist A school and Fleet Information Warfare Center (FIWC) Little Creek.
I was raised, from the age of about 6 months, in the shadow of not only the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Fleet HQ in Norfolk/Portsmouth, but also Langley Air Force Base, formerly the Tactical Air Command HQ, and now is Air Combat Command, and is also part of an amalgamation of Langley in Hampton, and the Army's Fort Eustis in Newport News, which is the U.S. Army's Installation Management Command, (which WAS the Transportation HQ for the Army back in the day, running everything from Jeeps to helicopters to boats to railroads,) and both of which were merged on 1 October 2010, through that Base Realignment business. I've been away from there since I moved away to the Midwest with my just-out-of-the-Air-Force husband of 1 year, at the age of 20, although I've been back for visits to see family numerous times over the last 42 years. But, that's not the same as being there with all the changes as they have happened. It's difficult for me to imagine the two being turned unto a "Joint Base Operation" as the two facilities are probably 25 miles apart (maybe even more!) in two different cities, but I guess they have managed, eh? ALSO, there are Marines in the area attached to the MANY different Navy facilities, AND Newport News Shipbuilding across the way from Norfolk, in Newport News, on the James River, which can "home port" ships there for short and long term refits, repairs, and/or refueling in conjunction with their nuclear power systems. My stepdad, his dad before him, and numerous uncles, cousins, brothers, and brothers-in-law, and friends have made their living in "The 'Yard" from the 1920's up to today. Almost 100 years. It's the largest single employer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. PLUS there's the U.S. Coast Guard in Yorktown and thereabouts! My favorite saying used to be that you couldn't swing a dead cat down there without hitting SOMEBODY in some kind of a uniform! I even had plans - serious plans, up to and including being sworn in to the Air Force at MEPS - but my eyesight was just on the ragged edge of being over the limit! That was the last part of the physical - I passed everything else with the proverbial flying colors, including the ASVABS in high school my Senior year, to get that far, but, that damned eye exam was the one stumbling block that got me. Not even a civilian ophthalmologist could get any better results. And it was only a 1/4 of a diopter!! SO, I got to wave goodbye to the group of girls I had become fast friends with over the last two days as they went off to the airport and Lackland AFB in Texas, and I dragged my ass back to the bus station (free ticket) to get back on the Greyhound and go home again. Actually, I had a cab ride - also on them - to get to the bus station, but my heart sure wasn't in it! I'd worked hard in high school for four years, two of them (doing three years work) in AFJROTC, to get there, my grades weren't stellar but certainly above average, my ASVABS aced in every section, except I was one point off in mechanics. But, since I was going for Medical, mechanics wasn't that big of a deal. Only on a personal level, because I was good at that too! So, I went back home again, in floods of tears, because that was my whole plan. Period. I never expected not to go! I had no idea what to do with myself. I ended up a year later getting into the Air Force through a "side door" - I married an Airman! Ah, well - I liked how that worked out too!! But, yes, Hampton Roads will always be home to me, no matter where else I go.
Trust me, they Navy uses "ship grey"faster then you change your socks. I applied my share even as a MS ( cook) USS COONTZ DDG40 R.I.P Coontz..she was sold for scrap .. 3 yrs after spending 2 yrs of a 3 yr slot in dry dock in Philadelphia ship yard...which was sold as well to a European company that makes cruise liners and oil barges
How generous Americans are! When I visited la base navale near Brest in France a few weeks ago I was strictly forbidden to take even one photo of the base even when passing on a tourist boat. But here as you can see tourists can take lots of pictures! What a difference!
I am a bit surprised the fences are so close to the ships. I would've expected them to be another 100 yards or so outward. (But, as I say below, I'm sure the Navy has much more guarding the ships than just fences.) Go Navy!
Thank you for posting this. I served as a Boiler Technician Second Class (E-5) aboard the first amphibious transport dock ship at Norfolk in the 70s. The USS Raleigh LPD-1. When we were in Port, which wasn't very often as we were always steaming it seemed like, we usually were tied up at either Pier 2 or Pier 5. We were supposed to be stationed at Little Creek but we pulled too much draft and we had to offload nearly every thing just to get in unlike the LSDs.
I was last in Norfolk in November 1985, flying out of NAS Norva. I used to call it NoF&^k, S*&t City and the Arm pit of America. I must say, though, it looks pretty good now and I may return someday to show my son around. Also good to see my old ship CG64 USS Gettysburg. I'm a Reservist Plankowner of that Cruiser. She's 30 years old now!
I was the right side Marine rifleman of the color guard at the commissioning of the USS Tortuga at Little Creek Amphibious Base. I believe that was about 1990.
I spent a long summer in Norfolk in 1965. Great Armed Forces Day open house. Took a dependents' cruise on USS Boxer. Enlisted USN Oct 1970 in Aviation electronics. Army tried to draft me fifth week of boot in San Diego. LMAO !
You think that's something....................I received a draft registration card in West Germany back in '80 while serving in the US Army over there..............
I've been twice at this fabulous shipyard !! next time i will made that tour !! grays is my favorite color ! awesome footage great job ! thanks to show us what a great navy is !
I've lived in Hampton my entire life so naturally I've worked in Newport news shipyard and in NOB on everything but subs. Interesting seeing it up close like this from everyone else's point of view as opposed to actually being on them lol
My dad, his dad, and numerous uncles, cousins, brothers and brothers-in-law have made their living at NNS. My grandpa started in the 1920's working in the "Sail Shop," but working with all the canvas and upholstery fittings on all the ships, since sails were no longer in use. My stepdad worked in submarine piping design, for about 40 years, after going through the Apprentice School for four years on the GI Bill following WWII. One uncle was an official photographer for the Yard his entire working life, until the 80's, when he died of a massive heart attack, while eating his lunch one workday at a little restaurant across Huntington Avenue from the yard with three co-workers! RIP Uncle Joe! 😟 The others worked down in the shops and on the vessels under construction as welders, ship fitters, pipe fitters, etc., and so forth. I grew up in Hampton/Newport News as well, graduating from Hampton High School in the Class of '75, but left at 20 with my husband of one year, after he got out of the Air Force at Langley. He took me back home with him to the Midwest, and I've been stuck in this landlocked Yankee wasteland ever since. Couldnt make a decent pitcher of sweet tea amongst the lot of them!! 😭 And now it's much too late to go back again.
Was stationed on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 and USS Wasp LHD 1. Also FCTCLANT Dam Neck Operations Specialist A school twice and Fleet Information Warfare Center Little Creek. My ancestors settled Jamestown in 1627. William Stone (my 5 times Great grandfather) was appointted 3rd Colonial Governor of Maryland. Thomas Stone (my 4 times great uncle) signed the Declaration Of Independence.
Thanks Rockstar have lived in Portsmouth for quite awhile but never took the tour. Great to see an area I live in from a perspective. Great seeing the new Gerald R Ford but the Nimitz ain't no scrub, any other nation would love to just have 1. Appreciate it.
You bet man! Thank you for taking the time to check it out! I would highly, HIGHLY recommend taking the tour. It lasts about 2 hours, the ships are just incredible, and sometimes you'll see some dolphins swimming around.
@@DtRockstar1 do the cruise directors know before the cruise starts which naval ships will be in port so those customers can see them.They wouldn't all be there every time a tour cruise goes out.
Your video is showing two separate installations. NOB aka Naval Station Norfolk and NNSY aka Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Your description says NNSY is the largest base in the world but it is not, NOB is, Naval Operations Base Norfolk aka Naval Station Norfolk which you also show in the video.
the last time i was on pier 12 was when we boarded on the forrestal ( vf-11 ) for the med cruise of 1970. the third one for me aboard forrestal. i did not come back because i was discharged in france. the navy flew us back stopping in frankfort, shannon, ireland, then onto philly, they where so filled up they then flew us to great lakes boot camp main side where we got discharged ( 4/ 71 ).
I took this tour when I was in Norfolk. Oddly enough the USS Kole was there at that time too but unfortunately there were no aircraft carriers when I went :(. I definitely recommend taking this tour just because it's really cool seeing these ships up close. Be aware there will be soldiers with machine guns looking at you the whole time though!
sponge head ...it carried more passengers...but add the cruise ship's crew count of 1100+, the cruise ship has a lot more souls on board than the Wisconsin.
This is awesome! I had no clue they would have any tour like this. Many times I wish I had joined the military right out of college but didnt. Oh well, I can get on here and watch videos like this and dream:)
Well, all you have to do is take a trip to Norfolk Virginia and go to Nauticus and buy a ticket for a 2 hour cruise aboard the Victory Rover along the Elizabeth River which includes what you have seen, but there is a lot more to be seen. Ticket cost is $25 for adult. Buy a combo ticket for $36 and you can go aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin BB 64.There is also a dinner cruise. I have been on both daylight and dinner cruises and aboard the Wisconsin and enjoyed it all.Watching this makes me want to go back.
I did I spend 2 years in Navy after college,I had been in submarines and surface ships,I travelled around the world then I got out used$10,000 GI bill to finish my master degree in electronic engineer then I worked for FAA for 25years and I'm retire in San Diego now,mission accomplished !
Grew up in the Caribbean, took to piracy as a toddler and been roaming the seas ever since with my trusty pirate admiral Bennie..... rrrggggg you navy Squids surrender your ride!
When the Google Maps utility was new I glanced at the Norfolk piers. When I saw four carriers tied up closely to each other, I thought how much this felt like a next-generation Battleship Row. Far too many eggs in one basket.
I want to go on this cruise. Took me a while to find, but the name of the company is Naval Base Cruises, and the tour boat is called the Victory Rover. Tickets are $25, or $36 if you want to go on the tour and go to the Nauticus Museum. Money well spent, imho.
"The USA navy is one of the best" LOLOLOL ~ No Mijo, we are THE best, period, bar none! :) For the record, I served for about 10 years active duty, on 3 completely different Warships, on both Coasts, you can't fathom how huge we are, and all of the logistics and support involved!!! Seriously! WE BAD!!!!! :)
The way to sail into this shipyard is on a big comfortable cruise liner as we did some years ago, you end up getting a lovely view the USS Wisconsion as you berth along side
The narrator aboard the ship is versed in his knowledge of all the ships. Well done sir! Excellent video. I served back around '59-62 aboard the USS Bristol DD857 (Sumner class).
I have always thought that the largest Navy base, was found in California. I spent two years there in the late 1970's, at the time the base had nearly 3 million acres under the fence, most of which were impact ranges, for training and weapons systems testing. It is odd to think that the Navy has a huge base in the middle of the desert. The base, Naval Weapons Center China Lake, located out side of Ridgecrest, CA. I was there assigned to NRMC Long Beach Branch Clinic, China Lake. Its name sake lake only had water in it for maybe a month a year, after the rains. You could walk across it without getting your knees wet. It was a salt lake, each year with the rains it teemed with life, fairy shrimp. The only base I know of where all pay grades got base housing.
@@walterquick8649 She was reactivated on 1 August 1986; after a modernization program, she participated in Operation Desert Storm in January and February 1991. Wisconsin was last decommissioned in September 1991 after a total of 14 years of active service in the fleet,
Pier 12 was a short walk from the dirt parking lot ... short walk going to the ship (USS America, CV-66 in my case during the 70s), and a LONG walk at liberty time :)
pretty amazing. you have the 3 CVNs, you could attach 3 Ticonderogas and a handful of Burkes, then have the remaining CGs and DDGs attached to the amphibious warfare ships, which seems like it's enough for at the very least, a Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
As a member of a Navy family, all I could think of was Pearl Harbor. A surprise attack on this ship yard would be a disaster. Even if they had advance warning, how could they get out of the harbor and on the open seas in time. Better to have the ships berthed dispersed normally than risk a couple of nukes take out a sizable portion of the fleet
I was stationed at NOB, Little Creek, Dam Neck, and Naval Security Group Activity Northwest (Chesapeake) Virginia. Wonderful duty. CWO4 (Cryptology), USN, Ret, 73-95.
That's NOB (Naval Operating Base) Norfolk, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard is across the river in Portsmouth VA. Two totally separate facilities. A lot has changed, I was stationed at NOB for 4 years, on the D&S piers and the oiler piers. Today those piers look empty compared to the 1980s.
That has to be one of the most thorough tours Ive ever heard. That guy had something to say about everything in sight! Well done.
I want to take my brother on this. He would love it!
Commander Data from Star Trek couldn't do better than this guy!
You too can pay the $14 for the narrated public harbor tour.
À
We just took this tour last week, both north and south. The guide was extremely informative. Flagship Tour Cruise.
thank you America from new zealand. we love you. always.
Hi our friend, & Thank you ! Come and & visit USA sometime. Hawaii and Pearl Harbor is close to you.You can see the Arizona memorial & USS Missouri where Japan surrendered on. Battleships still are so cool looking.
@@ThePCTech1guy after Trump OK
Ditto.
@@alanbailey6236 why you gotta make this political lol
@@ChaseWatts1 There's one in every crowd isn't there.Sheesh.
That's a great tour from a harbor tour boat. Best way to see it. I have to correct you though, the Navy Base is not right next to Nauticus and the USS Wisconsin. There are some contractor yards and dry docks. Navy base is a few miles up river closer to the bay. You can see it from I-64 when you cross the Hampton Roads Tunnel. What IS cool is seeing a carrier navigating down to a yard past Nauticus!
Great to see your tour of the base. There are a lot more ships setup by MARAD in this general area for cargo and wartime supply duties not even seen in this video. The shipyards are huge, was living at Ft. Lee back around 1990-92 time frame and was able to spend some time at Norfolk Navy Base, very impressive. Thanks for sharing. Love seeing the Wisconsin! Beautiful!
oh man, what an interesting clip! I can't comprehend the amount of sheer naval power and amazing hardware and equipment that is combined here. you rarely get to see any of it, not to mention so many ships at once all in one place at the same time. never seen so many mighty military vessels in one place. thanks for taking and sharing this video Chris!. :)
Totally man! This is a tour I've been wanting to take for quite some time. All the billions of horsepower, firepower, and everything else that comes with it. Thanks for the kind comments, Great to hear from you!
That base just hosts airpower that is only matched by China and Russia, if by anybody. And that's Just one base.
In the eighties there were no floats/fences around the ships .our tour operator got us up close and personal before security came out to chase us off .He said it was a daily game and essentially a part of the tour . Different times .
All changed after 9/11. We used to be able to take family members on the base to see the ships.
They've really changed the pier numbers at Norfolk. They used to start at the carrier piers and number upstream for the main base, then there were the "D&S" piers where the destroyers and subs were based, with their own numbering system. The piers on the main base mostly housed cargo and auxillary ships, including two tenders which might have destroyers or subs moored outboard. There was also an enclosed set of piers where all the tugs were moored.
I haven’t been to the Iowa in Los Angeles, but I just went to the Wisconsin and Naval Ship Building in Newport News. In 2019 they’re constructing a new Aircraft Carrier!
Amazing it’s definitely a largest Port Merchant and Navy, but the Bay&James River are an amazing gateway out to the Atlantic! You need the largest shipyard to dock the USS Wisconsin and build more ships of that size! No wonder it’s the largest naval shipyard and they build all new naval ships at Norfolk!
Everyone will have a new appreciation for the U.S. Navy if they visit Norfolk rather than just watching on television or reading history books!
Brilliant stuff - only in the USA - As a Brit I'd would love to visit this place one day, but don't think the wife would be best pleased - thank you DtRockstar -great video!
Thank you very much for checking it out! I appreciate the kind comments!
She's a good woman, wise enough to know she doesn't understand everything that's important to you, but because she loves you, she'll come with you and rejoice in your happiness.
My wife wouldn’t like to visit this place either I don’t think but, hopefully, we’ll visit it in the next year. And I agree great video
That tour guy is extremely knowledgeable about those ships and nice to listen to.
Agreed! He makes it very easy to understand and is right on top of things.
I had many good times while I served back in 79 on board the USS IWO JIMA LPH-2 Would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
SPENT SIX MONTHS IN THIS SHIP, ITS LIKE A CITY IN THE MIDSDLE OF THE OCEAN.
I would love to pay a visit to this mega base. Thanks for sharing.
Well, all you have to do is take a trip to Norfolk Virginia and go to Nauticus and buy a ticket for a 2 hour cruise aboard the Victory Rover along the Elizabeth River which includes what you have seen, but there is a lot more to be seen. Ticket cost is $25 for adult. Buy a combo ticket for $36 and you can go aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin BB 64.There is also a dinner cruise. I have been on both daylight and dinner cruises and aboard the Wisconsin and enjoyed it all.Watching this makes me want to go back.
@@9johnpaul Hey ... "Thank you" for that Cruise tour information ... Much appreciated !!! Planning a trip down to Va Beach to visit family... I WILL include time for this GREAT tour !!
@@9johnpaul Thanks for the information!
@@ricks.1318 Your welcome
@@MrAyley7 Your welcome.
Love it or not, we have a great Navy, second to none. Your video tour is also great, well done!
The U.S. Navy is one kick ass branch as they can take command of the air, land, and sea. Basically a branch that is just so well rounded.
Too bad it comes at such a cost to average Americans. So much good could be done with that kind of money! Such a waste
@@daveboydell2896 LOL those ships are why you speak English and not German, Japanese or Russian!
love it, and that's coming from former Army.
@@daveboydell2896 Spend it on illegal aliens I bet, right?
Boy I miss that I was stationed there for 8 years and was in 3 squadrons and deployed on the USS GUAM and USS GUADALCANAL both LPH CLASS and stationed in NOB Norfolk I worked on the flight deck when deployed hard to believe it’s been 20 years since I left the Navy
Carl Fitzpatrick thank you for your service to our country
I left Norfolk in 2003. Was stationed on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 out of Little Creek and USS Wasp LHD 1. Had 2 tours of shore duty at FCTCLANT Dam Neck Operations Specialist A school and Fleet Information Warfare Center (FIWC) Little Creek.
I was raised, from the age of about 6 months, in the shadow of not only the U.S. Navy's North Atlantic Fleet HQ in Norfolk/Portsmouth, but also Langley Air Force Base, formerly the Tactical Air Command HQ, and now is Air Combat Command, and is also part of an amalgamation of Langley in Hampton, and the Army's Fort Eustis in Newport News, which is the U.S. Army's Installation Management Command, (which WAS the Transportation HQ for the Army back in the day, running everything from Jeeps to helicopters to boats to railroads,) and both of which were merged on 1 October 2010, through that Base Realignment business.
I've been away from there since I moved away to the Midwest with my just-out-of-the-Air-Force husband of 1 year, at the age of 20, although I've been back for visits to see family numerous times over the last 42 years. But, that's not the same as being there with all the changes as they have happened.
It's difficult for me to imagine the two being turned unto a "Joint Base Operation" as the two facilities are probably 25 miles apart (maybe even more!) in two different cities, but I guess they have managed, eh?
ALSO, there are Marines in the area attached to the MANY different Navy facilities, AND Newport News Shipbuilding across the way from Norfolk, in Newport News, on the James River, which can "home port" ships there for short and long term refits, repairs, and/or refueling in conjunction with their nuclear power systems. My stepdad, his dad before him, and numerous uncles, cousins, brothers, and brothers-in-law, and friends have made their living in "The 'Yard" from the 1920's up to today. Almost 100 years. It's the largest single employer in the Commonwealth of Virginia. PLUS there's the U.S. Coast Guard in Yorktown and thereabouts!
My favorite saying used to be that you couldn't swing a dead cat down there without hitting SOMEBODY in some kind of a uniform!
I even had plans - serious plans, up to and including being sworn in to the Air Force at MEPS - but my eyesight was just on the ragged edge of being over the limit! That was the last part of the physical - I passed everything else with the proverbial flying colors, including the ASVABS in high school my Senior year, to get that far, but, that damned eye exam was the one stumbling block that got me. Not even a civilian ophthalmologist could get any better results. And it was only a 1/4 of a diopter!!
SO, I got to wave goodbye to the group of girls I had become fast friends with over the last two days as they went off to the airport and Lackland AFB in Texas, and I dragged my ass back to the bus station (free ticket) to get back on the Greyhound and go home again. Actually, I had a cab ride - also on them - to get to the bus station, but my heart sure wasn't in it!
I'd worked hard in high school for four years, two of them (doing three years work) in AFJROTC, to get there, my grades weren't stellar but certainly above average, my ASVABS aced in every section, except I was one point off in mechanics. But, since I was going for Medical, mechanics wasn't that big of a deal. Only on a personal level, because I was good at that too!
So, I went back home again, in floods of tears, because that was my whole plan. Period. I never expected not to go! I had no idea what to do with myself. I ended up a year later getting into the Air Force through a "side door" - I married an Airman! Ah, well - I liked how that worked out too!!
But, yes, Hampton Roads will always be home to me, no matter where else I go.
@@sharid76 lmao in
In 1975 I took this tour with my dad.I was 12.it was at night. Left Hampton lasted a couple hours and everything was well lit .
Thanks for the great tour. I have been working on the base and I enjoyed the view from the water!
I'd love to have the grey paint concession in that town.
lol oh man, you'd be living large!
Trust me, they Navy uses "ship grey"faster then you change your socks. I applied my share even as a MS ( cook) USS COONTZ DDG40
R.I.P Coontz..she was sold for scrap .. 3 yrs after spending 2 yrs of a 3 yr slot in dry dock in Philadelphia ship yard...which was sold as well to a European company that makes cruise liners and oil barges
You never keep up there are so many shades of grey the Navy uses it's crazy.
How generous Americans are! When I visited la base navale near Brest in France a few weeks ago I was strictly forbidden to take even one photo of the base even when passing on a tourist boat. But here as you can see tourists can take lots of pictures! What a difference!
There ARE "some" U.S. bases that DO NOT allow any photography at all ... Sub bases fall into that category ....
Thanks for the video, I was stationed there from 75-79 in the Navy, brought back a lot memories
I am a bit surprised the fences are so close to the ships. I would've expected them to be another 100 yards or so outward. (But, as I say below, I'm sure the Navy has much more guarding the ships than just fences.) Go Navy!
I recommend everyonetake this tour if you get chance
Thank you for posting this. I served as a Boiler Technician Second Class (E-5) aboard the first amphibious transport dock ship at Norfolk in the 70s. The USS Raleigh LPD-1. When we were in Port, which wasn't very often as we were always steaming it seemed like, we usually were tied up at either Pier 2 or Pier 5. We were supposed to be stationed at Little Creek but we pulled too much draft and we had to offload nearly every thing just to get in unlike the LSDs.
Very cool, thank you very much for watching it. But most of all, thank you for serving our country!
I was last in Norfolk in November 1985, flying out of NAS Norva. I used to call it NoF&^k, S*&t City and the Arm pit of America. I must say, though, it looks pretty good now and I may return someday to show my son around. Also good to see my old ship CG64 USS Gettysburg. I'm a Reservist Plankowner of that Cruiser. She's 30 years old now!
Thanks for the tour ! 😎
I was the right side Marine rifleman of the color guard at the commissioning of the USS Tortuga at Little Creek Amphibious Base. I believe that was about 1990.
Stephen Wilson the USS Tortuga was my first ship. 5 years with her in Sasebo, Japan. Fond memories of that old girl....
Stephen Wilson ima welder and work on tortuga today.. sometimes I feel like it’s haunted or sumn it’s just very mysterious up there
I wish I was on that tour boat great video
My god I never seen so much naval power
I spent a long summer in Norfolk in 1965. Great Armed Forces Day open house.
Took a dependents' cruise on USS Boxer. Enlisted USN Oct 1970 in Aviation electronics. Army tried to draft me fifth week of boot in San Diego. LMAO !
You think that's something....................I received a draft registration card in West Germany back in '80 while serving in the US Army over there..............
I've been twice at this fabulous shipyard !! next time i will made that tour !! grays is my favorite color ! awesome footage great job ! thanks to show us what a great navy is !
Damn, there’s so much firepower parked in those piers.
US has best Navy in the World
Its also the second largest air force in the world. Guess who has the LARGEST?
That's a given, I was just saying the USN is also the second largest air force in world.
But as evident in this video, Denmark has the best merchant navy in the world ;)
lol
US has biggest, Britain has best! 🇬🇧🇺🇸
I've lived in Hampton my entire life so naturally I've worked in Newport news shipyard and in NOB on everything but subs. Interesting seeing it up close like this from everyone else's point of view as opposed to actually being on them lol
RAW 757 any job openings lol
My dad, his dad, and numerous uncles, cousins, brothers and brothers-in-law have made their living at NNS.
My grandpa started in the 1920's working in the "Sail Shop," but working with all the canvas and upholstery fittings on all the ships, since sails were no longer in use. My stepdad worked in submarine piping design, for about 40 years, after going through the Apprentice School for four years on the GI Bill following WWII.
One uncle was an official photographer for the Yard his entire working life, until the 80's, when he died of a massive heart attack, while eating his lunch one workday at a little restaurant across Huntington Avenue from the yard with three co-workers! RIP Uncle Joe! 😟
The others worked down in the shops and on the vessels under construction as welders, ship fitters, pipe fitters, etc., and so forth.
I grew up in Hampton/Newport News as well, graduating from Hampton High School in the Class of '75, but left at 20 with my husband of one year, after he got out of the Air Force at Langley. He took me back home with him to the Midwest, and I've been stuck in this landlocked Yankee wasteland ever since. Couldnt make a decent pitcher of sweet tea amongst the lot of them!! 😭 And now it's much too late to go back again.
Good job. I missed out on that tour a few years ago. Thanks for the video.
Error at 12:06. While the Nimitz carriers indeed have 4 aircraft elevators, the Ford class has three (not four)
Still ... The Narrator was EXCELLENT , in my opinion .... Has to be Ex Navy ..
Great Show~!
Thanks A Million~!
Best Regards, Joe
Excellent, a great upload that has made me want to visit even more! Thanks.
Was stationed on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 and USS Wasp LHD 1. Also FCTCLANT Dam Neck Operations Specialist A school twice and Fleet Information Warfare Center Little Creek. My ancestors settled Jamestown in 1627. William Stone (my 5 times Great grandfather) was appointted 3rd Colonial Governor of Maryland. Thomas Stone (my 4 times great uncle) signed the Declaration Of Independence.
I would like to visit this pretty nice Navy base.
Thanks Rockstar have lived in Portsmouth for quite awhile but never took the tour. Great to see an area I live in from a perspective. Great seeing the new Gerald R Ford but the Nimitz ain't no scrub, any other nation would love to just have 1. Appreciate it.
You bet man! Thank you for taking the time to check it out! I would highly, HIGHLY recommend taking the tour. It lasts about 2 hours, the ships are just incredible, and sometimes you'll see some dolphins swimming around.
The dolphins are cool, see them on the ferry time to time. Definitely will do the tour one day.
Presley Mitchell o
Shame on you for not taking that tour. Virginia wasn't on my to do list but now I'm definitely interested
@@DtRockstar1 do the cruise directors know before the cruise starts which naval ships will be in port so those customers can see them.They wouldn't all be there every time a tour cruise goes out.
Your video is showing two separate installations. NOB aka Naval Station Norfolk and NNSY aka Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Your description says NNSY is the largest base in the world but it is not, NOB is, Naval Operations Base Norfolk aka Naval Station Norfolk which you also show in the video.
Nice tour, thanks
Last time I was on pier 12 I got off the Forrestal. I guess that means I'm old.
Indy!! yeah but didnt life out!! ABH3 .miss that free money after retirement?
Yep the Forrestal was Home Ported in Mayport in the '80's
the last time i was on pier 12 was when we boarded on the forrestal ( vf-11 ) for the med cruise of 1970. the third one for me aboard forrestal. i did not come back because i was discharged in france. the navy flew us back stopping in frankfort, shannon, ireland, then onto philly, they where so filled up they then flew us to great lakes boot camp main side where we got discharged ( 4/ 71 ).
Me the America.
USS Schenectady LST 1185 what a piece of turd that was I still serving some great Marines and sailors
CG 64 USS Gettysburg, my fav US ship
I took this tour when I was in Norfolk. Oddly enough the USS Kole was there at that time too but unfortunately there were no aircraft carriers when I went :(. I definitely recommend taking this tour just because it's really cool seeing these ships up close. Be aware there will be soldiers with machine guns looking at you the whole time though!
those are Canadian Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels (RCN reserve ships)
Roger Cameron I believe you are right on that one
Interesting tour!
The Wisconsin carried more people then the cruise ship nd is almost as long. Greatest ships ever made!
sponge head ...it carried more passengers...but add the cruise ship's crew count of 1100+, the cruise ship has a lot more souls on board than the Wisconsin.
I bet the buffet on the Wisconsin wasn't as good...
@@Sshooter444 I bet the guns on the cruise ship weren't that good...
This is awesome! I had no clue they would have any tour like this. Many times I wish I had joined the military right out of college but didnt. Oh well, I can get on here and watch videos like this and dream:)
Well, all you have to do is take a trip to Norfolk Virginia and go to Nauticus and buy a ticket for a 2 hour cruise aboard the Victory Rover along the Elizabeth River which includes what you have seen, but there is a lot more to be seen. Ticket cost is $25 for adult. Buy a combo ticket for $36 and you can go aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin BB 64.There is also a dinner cruise. I have been on both daylight and dinner cruises and aboard the Wisconsin and enjoyed it all.Watching this makes me want to go back.
I did I spend 2 years in Navy after college,I had been in submarines and surface ships,I travelled around the world then I got out used$10,000 GI bill to finish my master degree in electronic engineer then I worked for FAA for 25years and I'm retire in San Diego now,mission accomplished !
@@charleshoang6481 My dream!! instead drooped out of college and chose the enlisted hard way, please try and educate those on the difference! lol
You could of been an officer.
Grew up in the Caribbean, took to piracy as a toddler and been roaming the seas ever since with my trusty pirate admiral Bennie..... rrrggggg you navy Squids surrender your ride!
Good job. Love the tour.
Nice tour, thanks for sharing!
"it just cost over a billion dollars each"
It breaks my heart seeing my beloved Anzio rapped up like a mummy and out of service. I just hope i can rejoin her in 2019.
Would love to take that tour !!!!!!!!!!
When the Google Maps utility was new I glanced at the Norfolk piers. When I saw four carriers tied up closely to each other, I thought how much this felt like a next-generation Battleship Row. Far too many eggs in one basket.
Love our Navy!!!!
I want to go on this cruise.
Took me a while to find, but the name of the company is Naval Base Cruises, and the tour boat is called the Victory Rover. Tickets are $25, or $36 if you want to go on the tour and go to the Nauticus Museum. Money well spent, imho.
The USA navy is one of the best (I have a nephew there for 6 year god bless America and my family (he’s a navy boy yes sr
USA NAVY is the BEST. Not one of..... Were TOP GUN.
@@ThePCTech1guy and it's not even close. The second may have 10% of this strength at most.
The largest Air Force in the world is the United States Air Force. The second largest Air Force in the world is the Unites States Navy.
"The USA navy is one of the best" LOLOLOL ~ No Mijo, we are THE best, period, bar none! :)
For the record, I served for about 10 years active duty, on 3 completely different Warships, on both Coasts, you can't fathom how huge we are, and all of the logistics and support involved!!! Seriously! WE BAD!!!!! :)
@@dekippiesip Ummmm... have you bumped your head?LOL
Thank your soilders for your service
They would be called Sailors.
There called sailors
@@twistedflys1205 They're ... (Not there...) lol
DAAAMN! The USS Linclon and the USS Ford, I peed in my pants when I saw them!
My home for 11 years
The way to sail into this shipyard is on a big comfortable cruise liner as we did some years ago, you end up getting a lovely view the USS Wisconsion as you berth along side
wow wow great video wish i could go!!! great job!!
Omg I never knew the navy had so many beautiful sea queens
Loved it! It was like being there again. Great job with the camera work.
Thank you very much! I really want to go back there, I would do it again in a heartbeat!
The narrator aboard the ship is versed in his knowledge of all the ships. Well done sir! Excellent video. I served back around '59-62 aboard the USS Bristol DD857 (Sumner class).
Thank you very much, sir! And most of all, thank you very much for your bravery and serving our country. :salute:
Thank you very much for noticing. I was proud to serve.
I have always thought that the largest Navy base, was found in California. I spent two years there in the late 1970's, at the time the base had nearly 3 million acres under the fence, most of which were impact ranges, for training and weapons systems testing. It is odd to think that the Navy has a huge base in the middle of the desert. The base, Naval Weapons Center China Lake, located out side of Ridgecrest, CA. I was there assigned to NRMC Long Beach Branch Clinic, China Lake. Its name sake lake only had water in it for maybe a month a year, after the rains. You could walk across it without getting your knees wet. It was a salt lake, each year with the rains it teemed with life, fairy shrimp. The only base I know of where all pay grades got base housing.
and to think... that is only about 1/6 of the military in that area. Add in NAS Norfolk, NAS Oceana, NAB Little Creek
Oceana ... That is where they store the jets, and heilos while a ship is in port at Norfolk , i believe ...??
Great video. Freedom isn't free.
Great job thanks 👍
#357 Thank You for a very fine, narrated video. My taxes at work! A lot of taxes at work!!
This is just 1 base.
Some fans are waiting for an additional ship tour! Under high protection!
7/11 is a maritime coastal defence ship, HMCS Summerside out of Halifax...
Open 24/7
what about San Diego? Seems like its just as big, I live down here and done the boat tour, they seem about the same size
0:40 DDG 67 is the USS Cole..
A great ship.
you toured the naval base not the shipyard the yard is in portsmouth up the elizabeth river
I'm homesick!
Awesome ship's excellent job thank you
Thank you for checking it out!
Your welcome
Can only look on with envy from the United Kingdom
The intonation sometimes.. its hilarious cuz hes talking about killing machines :D
The speaker is very good since he do it fast,it is easy to understand,beautiful sight and ships.
I would love to take this tour.
Best ship of all of them is the USS WISCONSIN!
when did she retire?
@@walterquick8649 She was reactivated on 1 August 1986; after a modernization program, she participated in Operation Desert Storm in January and February 1991.
Wisconsin was last decommissioned in September 1991 after a total of 14 years of active service in the fleet,
@@9johnpaul GOOD information !!!
Pier 12 was a short walk from the dirt parking lot ... short walk going to the ship (USS America, CV-66 in my case during the 70s), and a LONG walk at liberty time :)
It may look cool but it sucked being stationed there
YES SIR!!! lol drunk the hole time!! LOL and stayed off the grass!!
@@walterquick8649 u know Go navy
Yes it did
No F--K Va-ina!!! LOL ;)
we called it Shit City.
😂😂 we have an entire navy just in that shipyard and that’s less than 25% of the entire fleet 😩
It's not a shipyard, it's at the Norfolk Naval Base. The tittle is incorrect.
pretty amazing. you have the 3 CVNs, you could attach 3 Ticonderogas and a handful of Burkes, then have the remaining CGs and DDGs attached to the amphibious warfare ships, which seems like it's enough for at the very least, a Marine Expeditionary Brigade.
@ The shipyard is across the harbor in Newport News.
I was stationed at Camp Elmore Norfolk, smallest USMC base next to the largest Navy base in the world.
Only in the United States!
I don't know who allows this on u tube but there is certain people in this country that has forgotten the term Loose Lips Sinks Ships
As a member of a Navy family, all I could think of was Pearl Harbor. A surprise attack on this ship yard would be a disaster. Even if they had advance warning, how could they get out of the harbor and on the open seas in time. Better to have the ships berthed dispersed normally than risk a couple of nukes take out a sizable portion of the fleet
Dammmmmmm, that's one giant ship yard
nice, my dad was on 72, he's a chief now :)
thank him for his service....
72... Vella Gulf?
Or is it Mahan?
GREAT VIDEO MIND BOGGLING!
Shipbuilder is tony stark.⚓
Hello from Russia😋
Say "HI" to G. Putin for us all .... :) :) lol
I spent time here back I’m the 80’s aboard the USS Belknap (CG-26)
CVN-72...That's MY BOAT!
How do you figure it's yours......we built it....I'm just letting you borrow it.....lol.....
Boat? LMAO!! bootcamp
BOAT?? 😲 Where's there a BOAT??Geeez - what DO they teach you in boot camp these days?? 🤔
@@sharid76 Relax guys ... it's just older generation terminology ... No Biggie :) :) :)
Excellent video sir..
Thank you very much!
I was stationed at NOB, Little Creek, Dam Neck, and Naval Security Group Activity Northwest (Chesapeake) Virginia. Wonderful duty. CWO4 (Cryptology), USN, Ret, 73-95.
That's NOB (Naval Operating Base) Norfolk, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard is across the river in Portsmouth VA. Two totally separate facilities. A lot has changed, I was stationed at NOB for 4 years, on the D&S piers and the oiler piers. Today those piers look empty compared to the 1980s.