Supercarrier: An Inside Account of Life Aboard the World's Most Powerful Ship, the USS John F. Kennedy

by George C. Wilson

No dust jacket

Genres: Military Fiction, Nautical, Nonfiction, History

273 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 1986

About the author

There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.

Reviews

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as an nine year old from the library around the time I would play pretend being a military pilot. I remember watching the “TV” show this book inspired which was cool for the views of the ship but devolved into a soap opera on a carrier and was promptly cancelled. As a kid wrapped up in the pro Reagan era a lot of this book I now realize went over my head. The author has really interesting theories on where the military would end up as at the time suicide attacks against naval ships were a theory and not a practice. As an adult I found that chapter of the discussion between the author and the secretary of the navy the most interesting. As the kid in me still appreciated the exhilarating accounts of air combat and the human stories of sailors staying constantly vigilant.

[Jordan Bethea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction account of time spent aboard and aircraft carrier. The author intends to give an account of life aboard the ship and what life is like for the people working there, and succeeds, at least somewhat. I think it includes both too much time spent describing the author's own relationships and parties and whatnot, and also not enough time spent detailing the actual jobs and work of the sailors. It follows a lot of the doings of the pilots - which makes sense as a carrier exists to enable the flight missions. But it has very little detail on the work of the sailors.

The book isn't bad for that criticism, but it comes off kind of thin, like you are only getting the surface level. It does spend a decent amount of time talking about the deaths of a couple pilots in an accident, as well as the lone bombing run which was largely unsuccessful. It goes into a good bit of detail on this, which is interesting into general navy practice, but only somewhat related to life aboard the carrier.

Overall I enjoyed it, but I found myself wishing for more detail. For the amount of time spent aboard, I feel like it's short.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are many “life aboard an aircraft carrier” books. Then there’s this one which actually puts you there. Although it does not skimp on technical details, the emphasis here is on the people, from the newest enlisted men through the captains and admirals. It’s also the story of a military that, although in the early 1980s, had not yet escaped from the upper leadership problems of Vietnam. This is the authoritative volume on carrier life of the period.

[FMLDNR · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good book, a wealth of information

[George Cahlink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Signed first

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, relevant, and well-written, SuperCarrier is the story of George Wilson’s experience on the USS JFK during the US involvement in Lebanon in 1983. Wilson, a true journalist who reported during Vietnam and continues to have many a byline in today’s articles on politics and warfare, spent 7 months sharing experiences with the officers and crew.

Not content to be a mere bystander, Wilson went through the same preflight training in Pensacola that naval aviators receive, and flew several sorties on the EA-6B Prowler and F-14 Tomcat during the deployment, in addition to several flights on the COD aircraft.

Wilson’s interviews lean heavily towards the top brass. He spends much of his time on the bridge with the Captain, and discussing policies and religion with the chaplain.

Wilson also candidly shares his experiences and exploits with his roommates and comrades, the naval aviators in the squadrons aboard the ship. The antics he discusses (which are most likely toned down versions of the reality) exhibit the pre-Tailhook macho culture that prevailed in the Navy of the 1980s.

The only complaint I have about the book is that its relevance is limited because most of the technology is now extremely outdated. It was funny at times to read the praise and descriptions of the technology that was modern at the time. Moreover, nearly all the aircraft flown in the Air Wing have since been retired from today’s fleet. That being said, I would love an updated version of a similar embedment.

[Roger Burk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A journalist joined the Kennedy for a 1983-84 cruise that turned out to include two airstrikes into Lebanon to support US marines trying to help during the civil war there. It gives a good picture of life aboard a carrier. This was a quarter century ago, but I doubt things have changed much. The flight deck will still be a dangerous place, catapult launches still heart-stopping, carrier landings still terrifying. The sailors I'm sure are still amazingly young kids looking for adventure, discipline, education, or a job. The technology has advanced a bit--smart bombs were just being introduced, and failed on their first use in Lebanon. The internet has ameliorated the isolation. But mostly I bet shipboard life is more similar than different.