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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2003-03-22
Aboard 'The Connie': A Photographer's Diary. Part 1
By Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, 2003
Loading missiles on the U.S.S. Constellation.
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(Editors note: Justin Sullivan is a staff photographer for Getty Images based in San Francisco. He is currently on assignment aboard the U.S.S. Constellation in the Persian Gulf.)
March 21, 2003
I am fortunate enough to be the only still photographer out of a press corp of 30. I am embedded with reporters from TIME, US News, USA Today, CNN, The Today Show, AP Television, and the Chicago Tribune to name a few.
We have become a solid unit with all working well together and egos checked at the door. Everyone is great.
We have been blessed with having a great Admiral who allows us unprecedented access to the ship's resources and are free to roam about the ship and talk with members of the crew.
Photo by LTJG Robert Collins/U.S. Navy
Getty Images staffer Justin Sullivan aboard the U.S.S. Constellation in the Persian Gulf on Friday, March 21, 2003.
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Sleeping has been tough since the ship operates 24/7 and there is always something going on that needs to be covered. We also sleep in the enlisted berthing which is rather small and not as comfortable as you would hope it to be. Our bunks our stacked three high and we are surrounded by the noisy elements of the ship, mainly the bomb elevator which is unbelievably loud and within feet of
my bunk.
When you do sleep, you sleep hard. I am now able to sleep through just about anything including my alarm, planes launching (which shakes the entire 90,000 ton ship) and even the bomb elevator. I average about 4-5 hours a day, not usually at one time. I take lots of naps.
The food is edible, that's as far as I'll go with that. But I can guarantee it isn't as bad as MRE's in the middle of the desert.
Some unusual things that have happened during my stay aboard "The Connie" include a sand storm which shut down operations for a day and filled the ship with really fine sand that is bad for your camera. This was
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, 2003
Justin's home away from home, "The Connie".
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unusual because the storm was about 50 miles away and still managed to create near zero visibility here out in the middle of the Gulf.
The ship was on high alert this morning (Friday, March 21) as an unidentified vessel approached. It was soon determined to not be a threat.
Watching planes land at night in total darkness is absolutely incredible.
In the past few days, assembly of bombs has almost quadrupled. There are missiles and bombs of all sizes scattered throughout the ship, including in the enlisted sailor's mess deck.
Related Links:
Justin Sullivan's member page
Aboard 'The Connie': A Photographer's Diary. Part 2
Aboard 'The Connie': A Photographer's Diary. Part 3
Aboard 'The Connie': A Photographer's Diary. Part 4
Aboard The Bonhomme Richard: A Photographer's Diary. Part 5
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