When the aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis returns to the placid blue waters of the Gulf with her strike force of 70 jets in the next few days, she will be ready for action off the coast of Iran.
The nuclear powered Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has been described as the finest warship in the world.
Screaming jets land and take off from a heaving flight deck, the length of three football fields. Most are flying daily combat missions over Afghanistan.
Rear Admiral Mike Shoemaker, a wiry man with a navy buzz cut, says that there could be a threat from Iran, but that would be manageable.
If America is drawn into another war in the Middle East, a key nerve centre for operations will be the admiral's bridge on the ship. There are only two computer screens, a big telephone, and an old-fashioned ship's compass.
Hawkeyes see over the horizon with radar; Prowlers blind the enemy's electronic eyes; and Hornets do the damage by dropping precision-guided bombs as heavy as one ton on any target.
Iran's nuclear sites are within easy range. The bombs are nearly all precision-guided by laser and GPS. The biggest can be carried by a jet, but landing with a one-ton bomb is too risky so they are dropped at sea if they are not used against an enemy.
Flight and Deck personnel prepare F-18 Super Hornets for take off as the sun sets
F-18 Super Hornets take off for their missions
The crew claim to be ready for any mission, 24 hours a day, but there is little enthusiasm for a new war with Iran
Crew of a C-2A Greyhound preparing to land on the carrier
RAS or Replenishment at Sea with oil and supplies
Supplies, including fresh fruit, in the hangar after RAS.
Enlisted sailors sleep 100 to a dormitory and eat in canteens.
Hangar Personnel relax practising skills with a soccer ball
Hangar personnel relax with a guitar
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