USS Harry Truman (CVN 75) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 69 text:

During the Shakedown Cruise in late 1998, 57 spent three days in St. Thomas, U.S. V.I. - one of the three days was Thanksgiving. The locals offered many Sailors their homes and the opportunity to spend the holiday with them. While most of America was preparing for the first snow of the winter, 77? (7Af 4 A ' Sailors enjoyed the tropical climate and experience of the Caribbean. Snorkeling, diving, deep-sea fishing and shopping were just some of the activities 7757 Sailors enjoyed. Some Sailors also took part in community service programs to help renovate several hurricane-damaged facilities throughout the island. Some of the renovation projects included painting and garden work at a local church and other restoration activities.

Page 71 text:

March 1999 brought another first for HST as the ship held its first Tiger Cruise. The carrier hosted family j members for a two-day excursion, as the ship made a transit from Norfolk Naval Station to Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock. The Tigers had the opportunity to see how their 77? f M4A Sailors lived, worked, ate and slept, and were treated to a number of exciting demon- strations of the ship ' s capabilities, including fiight operations. It was a once-in-a-lifetimc opportunity to experience Navy life for most of the Tigers. Out of the thousands of Tigers who embarked, more than 1 ,500 earned their Tiger Surface Warfare qualification!