Capt Ronald Reis, commanding officer of the carrier, said that it had just come from Borneo via the South China Sea.
The main purpose of the carrier’s visit to Phuket is to allow the crew to get some rest and relaxation on their four-day stay. The crew take it in relays, with 1,500 to 2,000 sailors going ashore each day.
The Stennis is like a floating town. Weighing in at 97,000 tonnes, it has a post office, a convenience store that sells things the crew might miss from back home, and a Starbucks coffee shop.
The crew are aboard the carrier for six to seven months at a stretch, many with no days ashore – with its nuclear-powered engines, the carrier can theoretically cover a million nautical miles (1.9 million kilometres) without refuelling.
Zachary Harrell, public affairs officer for the carrier, said, “Everybody here misses home but we are out here sacrificing ourselves to try and make a difference.”
To ease the homesickness, the crew organise events on board such as karaoke nights as well as an upcoming themed party for Halloween.
Capt Reis said the carrier “operates similar to the way an industrial enterprise does. We come into port every five to six weeks.”
He added that he was “delighted to be here for my first time in Phuket”.
The crew of the carrier includes five half-Thai sailors. The Phuket News was introduced to the Chief of Aviation and Structural Mechanics for aircraft, Chief Petty Officer Brian Connell. His mother is from Satthahip, one of Thailand’s biggest navy bases south of Pattaya.
Although he was unable to converse in Thai he said he was “still proud to be able to come back and set foot in my homeland”.
CPO Connell has been in the US Navy for more than 17 years but still holds Thailand close to his heart, he said, because he has three uncles who had served in the Royal Thai Navy, and relatives in Pattaya.
Capt Reis said the carrier would be going on patrol in the Middle East before heading back to its homeport, Kitsap Navy Base in Washington State, on the Pacific coast of the US.