Customer Reviews:
 Life on a floating city May 16, 2008
I watched all 10 hours and it never lost my interest. Depicted the aduous life of 5500 sailors aboard a warship on overseas deployment.
The ten episodes profile many of the officers and Enlisted, both men and women, from lowest ranking to highest crewmember. The mixture of fighter pilots to Aviation Boatswain's Mates to Mess Management Specialists to Petty Officers to the Chiefs, is all here.
The only thing missing, quite naturally, was much if anything about the below desks Nuclear Reactors and those highly secretive, wonderous ship's propulsion operations. Suffice to say, a nuclear carrier, at 90,000+ tons displacement, can operate underway without refueling for decades.
Surprisingly, the U.S. Navy has found a way for the crew, both men and women, straights and gays, to perform some of the most dangerous jobs imaginable. They work side by side, 24/7, while air ops are underway, but still keep their "off duty" personal lives separate; a feat easier said than done under such congested living conditions. The aircraft carrier and airwings' daily routine are in complete harmony and about efficient as any large organization possibly can be.
I believe this is the best documentary depicting in great detail, what it is really like to be in the Navy, in the history of documentary films. I should know, I served four years aboard CVN ship during three overseas deployments during the Vietnam War era. The "airdale" (or bird farm) Navy is still a LOT like I remember it from 35+ years ago, except of course, sadly, there were absolutely no women allowed aboard combat ships way back then.
BRAVO PBS for bringing such an interesting, high quality production, both in content as a tribute to America's men and women serving in the Armed Forces, and in format as a the "HD" televison production. "CARRIER" was a pleasure to watch from beginning to end.
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