The three Andersons  Jeff in black, Andy in blue and Kevin in yellow  pose by the aircraft carrier's tower. (Submitted photo).

By LISA BRITTON

Baker City Herald

Andy Anderson has logged 31 days at sea aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, and he isn’t even a sailor.

andquot;I have as much, if not more, sea time than a lot of people in the Navy,andquot; said says the 64-year-old Baker City man.

Anderson, who served in the Air Force from 1959 to 1967, is recently back from his third Tiger Cruise, a Navy program that allows family members of sailors to board ships aircraft carriers or destroyers at Hawaii and sail to San Diego, then north to homeport in Bremerton, Wash.

Anderson was sponsored by his son, Jeff Anderson, who has been in the Navy for 18 years and works in aviation electronics. Jeff’s son, Kevin, 12, of Mount Vernon, Wash., also went on the cruise.

In August, Jeff Anderson was on his way home aboard the USS John C. Stennis after a 7-month deployment in the North Arabian Sea.

Tiger Cruises give families parents, siblings and children age 12 and older a chance to return home with their sailors while learning all about life aboard a Navy vessel. Visitors have a choice of how long they stay at sea: from Hawaii to San Diego, San Diego to Bremerton, or both legs of the trip.

Andy Anderson has joined his son two previous times: on the USS Nimitz during the Gulf War and on the USS Lincoln about 10 years ago.

That first cruise was a bit uncertain, he said.

andquot;That one was iffy, but it went through,andquot; he says.

Participating in these cruises runs in the Anderson family Andy’s brother, Ron, has been on several himself, the last aboard a destroyer.

andquot;We got to shoot the guns. Real live ammunition we shot out into the ocean,andquot; says Ron, who also lives in Baker City.

While on board, the Tigers tour nearly every area of the carrier.

andquot;Everything but the nuclear reactor room and the captain’s berth,andquot; Anderson says.

His latest voyage included 1,300 Tiger Cruisers, he says.

Each Tiger receives an orange-covered booklet the andquot;Personnel Qualification Standard for Tiger Warfare Specialistandquot; that contains a sort of scavenger hunt to send the visitors to nearly all the different departments.

Anderson’s book for the Stennis trip has every entry signed, from andquot;demonstrate a salute and describe its meaningandquot; to andquot;visit the barber shop.andquot;

andquot;You go to all their shops and get signatures,andquot; he said.

The flip side of that booklet contains andquot;Tiger Need-to-Know Facts,andquot; and those numbers still impress Anderson as he reads off the ship’s stats:

Area of flight deck: 4 acres.

Length of the flight deck: 1,092 feet.

Maximum speed: More than 30 knots.

Crew size: 6,200.

Height keel to mast: 244 feet, equal to a 24-story building.

The USS Stennis carries nearly 100 aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters and radar airplanes.

Kevin even got to the chance to be strapped into a helicopter seat.

andquot;He had a ball,andquot; Andy said.

Each day began at 6 a.m. with breakfast.

andquot;If you slept in, you didn’t get chow,andquot; he said.

Tiger activities were scheduled each day with tours, demonstrations and entertainment.

The best part, Andy said, is the andquot;birds-eye view of the airshow.andquot;

The Tigers are treated to an air show on the trip from Hawaii to San Diego, and then one from San Diego to Washington.

andquot;The air shows from Hawaii to San Diego are much better,andquot; Anderson said with a grin.

But for all the tours and entertainment, Tiger Cruisers never forget they are aboard a military ship.

andquot;They take everything serious,andquot; Anderson said. andquot;Lights out at 10, then the chaplain comes out and says a prayer for the people in Iraq.andquot;

When asked about his favorite part of the cruise, Anderson’s answer is simple:

andquot;Getting to go. I’ve loved every one of them.andquot;