Mack's Post Deployment Photo Wrap-Up

Greetings all! Or maybe I should say Ahoy! Mr.Naked Gaijin here. As you may know I just got back from a 3 month deployment around the Pacific. Here is my post-deployment photo wrap up. Enjoy.

What better symbol for the promise and potential of a new deployment that a beautiful sunrise at sea.

First stop on the deployment: Guam.

First stop in Guam: Hooters.

God Bless America.

Still in Guam, off to play some darts. Pat, the guy with the camera, ended up buying lots of drinks that night because he's not so hot at darts. One round he bought us was something called an Ozzie, where you drink tequila, snort a line of salt, and squeeze a lime into your eye. Needless to say, it was last round he bought us.

After Guam, we headed south. In the Navy, whenever you cross the equator in a ship, you have what's called a "crossing the line ceremony" where people who haven't crossed the line (polywogs) are initiated into the Order of Neptune by those who have (shellbacks). It is a great time. It begins when Davy Jones visits the ship and hoists his colors.

Here you can see the Bedlam that takes place. Lots of crazy, all day.

Here is a typical costume that Trusty Shellbacks don for the ceremony. Very salty sea dog here.

More fun. Check the green water.

Me and Kris. A couple of Trusty Shellbacks enjoying the fun from the relative dryness of the non-skid decks.

Next off to Noumea, New Caledonia. How beautiful.

All the N5(my directorate on staff) guys out to eat. I had a pizza called Chevre Miel. It was awesome. My new favorite.

This is me at Amedee Island, where I went snorkeling. It was fantastic. Some of the clearest water I've ever seen.

Here is me, snorkeling and picking up some shells.

Just a bunch of guys from the N5 and our N3 in the middle in Aquaflage, with a nice ocean sunset at our back. Just another day at sea.

Next, it was a well deserved port call in Sydney Australia. For more pictures on Sydney, see Kelsey's other posts. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Here is me and Kelsey at the Sydney Aquarium. It was great that she could come down and spend that time with me.

After Sydney, we headed to Cairns, Australia, jumping off point for the Great Barrier Reef. At Cairns, we went out to eat at a great brewery.

Me at the Great Barrier Reef, having fun.

Me and a sea slug. I'm the one holding the sea slug.

After a great time in Cairns, we headed to Kuala Lumpur, home of the Petronas Towers. Very beautiful at night.

In Kuala Lumpur, a bunch of us headed to a cigar room. Hence the smokey picture.

After KL, we stopped in Singapore and had a dining out. For more on this, see Kelsey's post.

Needless to say, it was a great time.

Here is a quick look at the number of people we had at the dining out.

Some of the toasting and roasting that we do at the dining out. These can get pretty rowdy.

Me and Rob, hanging out after the party.

After Singapore, we headed off to Da Nang, Vietnam. This is a bunch of guys from the office out to eat in Vietnam.

Shopping for artwork in Vietnam.

One of the huge city markets in Da Nang.

Still out drinking and eating in Vietnam.

China beach, near Da Nang.

After Vietnam, we participated in Annualex. For more, see Kelsey's post. That ship in the bottom right is the USS BLUE RIDGE, the ship I'm on.

Last day, pulling back into Yokosuka. How great! It was a bit foggy though.

Last picture. Me with a stunning ocean sunset. Just another day at sea. But good to be home.

Thanks to Adam Wieder for some of these photos.