Soon after, members of the 5,500-strong crew began streaming off the ship lugging large suitcases for an extended stay ashore – the warship doesn’t leave again until Saturday (June 1).
While many of them will head for the beaches and the rowdy entertainment in Patong, more than 300 crew have put their names down for one or other of 11 Community Relations, or “Comrel” activities, most of which involve painting dilapidated public buildings, particularly schools.
The Comrels will also including upgrading the playground facilities at the Bang Jo Learning Centre, which caters to Burmese children, and completing a river bank reinforcement at the Home & Life orphanage in Phang Nga, a job begun by crew from the USS Boxer and USS Ford on their visits in 2011.
Bhurrit Matwongsa of the Phuket Tourist Association estimated that with purchases of supplies for the ship and crew, along with crew spending onshore, Phuket is likely to garner a windfall boost to its economy of B450 million during the Nimitz's stay.