Bainbridge

1/4 mile across from the Waterside Marina where we’re tied up is a drydock in which a large Navy vessel was having work done. Yesterday, half a dozen tugs convened in the area to move the vessel out of drydock, so we Googled “navy vessel 96” to find out what we were seeing.

The U.S.S. Bainbridge, the fifth naval vessel to be given that name, is a guided missile destroyer and was commissioned in 2005.  While she was active in the Mediterranean, she has received most of her notoriety for her role in helping to save the MV Maersk Alabama (a U.S. flagged freighter captained by Richard Phillips) when it was captured by Somali pirates in 2009.  The US Navy Seals who shot 3 of the pirates and saved the Captain were aboard the U.S.S. Bainbridge.

After the tugboats pulled the Bainbridge out of drydock, they turned her, bringing her bow within a few hundred feet of where we and dozens of other Loopers sat watching on our boats.  It was fascinating to watch this 510-foot, 9,200 ton ship with a 66-foot beam and 31-foot draft being manipulated around by these buzzing tugs. A great afternoon’s entertainment!

Last night we had cocktails on our boat, followed by dinner at an outdoor seafood restaurant with new friends Tom and Barbara from Louisiana.  We met them via posts on the Great Loop website when Tom asked some questions about costs of doing the Loop.  Yesterday he and Barbara arrived in Norfolk to look at two boats they’re considering buying, as they hope to begin their Loop soon.  They’ve been boaters for many years (mostly sailboats), and Tom is retired from the oil industry. He’s a smart, feisty Cajun and reportedly a great cook. Barbara is intelligent and lively, and they both have good senses of humor; the kind of folks we like!  So we stayed up way past “Baja Midnight” (that’s what 8:30 p.m. was known as during our Mexican winters in our RV) talking and sharing stories. They plan to stay in Norfolk for a few more days, including attending some events at the Rendezvous, so we trust we’ll see them again.