Reminds of something the happened on my last Med. cruise. Shortly before Hussein invaded Kuwait there was an uprising in Liberia. IIRC Firestone had a plant there or there was some other American company that had assets there and the USS Eisenhower battlegroup was tasked to provide an American presence at the location. We got orders to meet the Eisenhower at Gibraltar for an unrep so she could stay on station near Liberia for an extended time. We stayed up all night preparing for the unrep and met her early the next morning. We unrepped for about 6 hours, both conventional and vertical, it was a sight to see. Not 5 seconds after the last line was parted from the Eisenhower, and I was standing on the flight deck watching the whole affair after the vertrep was done, the Eisenhower poured on the coal. THAT was one of the most jaw-dropping things I have ever seen. The accelleration she exhibited, the rooster tail she kicked up, and the emergeny turn to port. You'd never think something that displaces 85,000+ tons could get up and go like she did. Within a few minutes she was gone over the western horizon. It's something I'll never forget.
