George Washington (CVN 73) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 131 text:

An aircraft carrier at sea has been compared to a floating city. The carrier must support all the services of a typical American town. To help GW Sailors keep in touch with loved ones at home, the Postal Clerks manned a small post office that carried out a big job. These Sailors, along with some of their shipmates, formed a “Bravo Working Parties,” which carried, sorted, stacked and bundled thousands of pounds of incoming and outgoing mail each day. Of the many records broken on this maiden deployment, one stands out Largest Mail Call — 13,000 lbs. That's a lot of letters! Mail Call 09 114 Underway

Page 130 text:

Over the side While the larger job of repainting the damaged exterior of the ship would be later completed in Jebel Alt, much of the preparatory' work was accomplished by the crew. They spent long hours over the side in the searing heat repairing and repainting the damage. From the repair lockers nearest the scene to the crewmembers who provided water to help their shipmates fend off dehydration, lighting the Jire was an all hands effort. Later, the crew was commended with more than 360 awards and was praised for their teamwork during a ceremony on the flight deck. UrKlervvay 113

Page 132 text:

Ai Underway 115