Royal Couple Sail Coast Aboard Carrier

Attack jets thundered overhead and slammed down onto the deck in a display of air power for Britain’s Duke and Duchess of York as they sailed the California coast Thursday aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

The air show was a highlight of the day at sea for Prince Andrew and his wife, Sarah, both pilots, who were also allowed to inspect one of the vessel’s catapults and massive chains that hold the ship’s two 60,000-pound anchors.

The duchess was presented a boatswain’s mate’s whistle, used to pipe dignitaries aboard, and she playfully tooted on it as she and the duke rode up to the flight deck on a huge aircraft elevator.

Sarah also chatted with sailors on the mess deck, asking Airman Michael McAmis, 25, of Akron, Ohio, if his sleeping quarters are roomy enough.

“It’s all relative,” McAmis replied, drawing a smile from the duchess.

Carried by Copter

Sarah then headed to ship’s port side, which drew laughter from McAmis, who said, “We only cleaned the starboard side today.”

A Navy helicopter carrying Andrew and Sarah, who sported a USS Nimitz baseball cap, landed on the carrier 60 miles west of Los Angeles at 12:34 p.m. as a loudspeaker announced: “Duke of York arriving.”

The duke, a helicopter pilot in the Royal Navy who saw action in Britain’s Falklands Islands war with Argentina, saluted Vice Admiral John H. Fetterman Jr., commander of U.S. Naval Air Forces Pacific.

Trailing behind was the duchess, wearing a blue dress and white coat with navy blue trim.

The couple were presented leather flight jackets bearing the inscriptions “Duke of York” and “Duchess of York,” then sat down to watch the air show.

Dramatic moisture blasts, an aircraft-enveloping fog caused as a jet breaks the sound barrier, brought a wide-eyed reaction from the duchess.

Helicopters demonstrated anti-submarine warfare techniques and supersonic jets made frequent flybys as the couple watched from the main deck.

Jet after jet touched down on the deck at 160 m.p.h., catching one of four cable arresters on the carrier’s stern and dragging them 150 yards before the planes came to a stop. The planes then folded their wings and taxied to catapults.

A narrative was provided to the duchess by Fetterman while the duke engaged in spirited conversation with the ship’s skipper, Capt. Brent Bennitt..

All then went below for lunch. The menu included cream of asparagus soup, an assorted relish tray, marinated mushrooms, Melba toast with grilled Parmesan cheese, chicken salad on tomato wedge, cherries jubilee, mineral water and iced tea.

The couple, touring Southern California to promote British trade, started the day with a visit hosted by the International Foundation for Learning Disabilities at Park Century School in Los Angeles.

British actress Joan Collins, a supporter of the charity, was on hand for the brief visit.

While the duke went to other rooms, the duchess spent a few minutes in one classroom with nine 6- and 7-year-old children, most of whom kept working on jigsaw puzzles until she spoke directly to them.

Spotting a jar of jellybeans on a table, Sarah asked, “If they’re good, they get jellybeans?”

And of 7-year-old Kimberly Woo, the duchess inquired, “So what are you learning today?”

“I don’t know,” Kimberly replied.

The students rehearsed for the visit, said their teacher, Cathie Gaudiano. “They were fine and very enthusiastic until we started to rehearse. Then they got scared.”

Each of the school’s classrooms presented gifts to the couple, including a diary of what it is like to have a disability, a paper flower, a scrapbook, school T-shirts and a model airplane.

The Nimitz sailed from San Diego at 7 a.m., heading north to its home port of Bremerton, Wash., with 3,000 men and only a few aircraft aboard. With its full flight complement, the carrier has a crew of 6,100 and nearly 100 aircraft.

The carrier last saw action when its aircraft shot down a pair of Libyan jets in 1981.

The Nimitz was also used in the movie “The Final Countdown” and is the setting for an upcoming ABC-TV show, “Super Carrier.”

Launched in May, 1972, and commissioned in 1975, the Nimitz is 1,092 feet long, 252 feet wide and displaces 95,000 tons. Its 4 1/2-acre flight deck has room for four catapults and four aircraft elevators.

The ship is powered by two nuclear reactors that drive four propellers.

The duke and duchess arrived in Los Angeles last Friday and depart Sunday.