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Mike Lynaugh was invited by the Commanding Officer, CAPT Rick Burgess, to spend 14 hours aboard the world’s newest, largest, and most powerful warship, the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78). On April 26, 2025, the Ford hosted a “Friends and Family” event, and Mike was among a small group selected as special guests of the Captain. Mike first met CAPT Burgess twelve years earlier when Burgess was the CO of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, the “Jolly Rogers,” during a deployment homecoming he was photographing for families at Naval Air Station Oceana.
That morning, CAPT Burgess greeted the group pier-side, escorted them aboard, and soon the ship was underway, sailing out of Naval Station Norfolk, around Cape Henry, and into the Atlantic Ocean. “Friends and Family” cruises give sailors the chance to show their loved ones what life in the U.S. Navy is like, with demonstrations in firefighting, weapons displays, historic artifacts relating to the Ford family, plus music, entertainment, food, and drink throughout the day
The experience culminated in an air show at sea. Guests were welcomed onto the flight deck for an hour of pure Naval Aviation as it is meant to be seen, with no shoreline in sight. They were met by F/A-18 Super Hornets from the “Ragin’ Bulls,” “Blacklions,” “Golden Warriors,” and “Tomcatters,” along with an MH-60S Seahawk from HSC-9 “Tridents.” The show kicked off with a low, supersonic flyover from the “Ragin’ Bulls” and the excitement never slowed.