The high-line can be used to transfer personnel or stores from ship to ship.  The Boatswain's Mates said it's not used often, mostly it's for emergencies.  Today they used Oscar, a dummy that's used for man-overboard drills, to sit in the cage.

On Indy there were two rows of line handlers helping pull the cage there and back.

I told them I would gladly volunteer for the ride, but Oscar was the only one who got to go.

Later in the day, the Chaplain's Office was offering Marriage Counseling Classes.  

Later, later in the day I hit the flight deck to snap off a few shots.   This (below) is Airman Tumlinson from Carthage, TX who is an EA-6B Plane Captain.  The turbines were spinning nearby, so I handed him the pen and pad and he did the writing.

Getting ready to climb into their bird were Lt. Noel Dahlke (left) from San Diego, CA and Lt. Larry Keil from Sheboygan, WI.

Here's the sunset... Indy was steaming into the sun tonight as the birds were being shot off.  We had General Quarters later in the evening, and right now were gliding through a dead calm out here.  The moon's full without a cloud in sight.   The temperature is still up and there's a slight fog rising off the water.   Down in the hangar bays and up on the flightdeck guys are working on the birds.   No flying going on right now... it's quiet, a good time to look up and watch the stars...

This morning the USS Bunker Hill came along side Indy to practice using the synthetic high-line.

Once the line was strung from Indy to Bunker Hill, they hooked up the cage and sent Oscar along his way.

 The whole evolution took less than thirty minutes and once finished and the lines were pulled back in, the Bunker Hill took off.

Lt. Phillip Pelikan (left) from San Clemente, CA was going over the meaning of marriage and some things these soon-to-be-husbands should strive for in their relationships.

ABE3 Casey Morrison (below) from Orlando, FL was working the phones on the deck edge.  He works with the recovery wires and said his favorite part of working on the flightdeck was after the final recovery.  "The flightdeck gets quiet and you can look up at the stars and relax." 

I stayed on the flightdeck awhile and recharged with the energy of flight Ops.   Planes being towed, chained down, loaded with ordnance, worked on, taxied to the catapults and taking off.