FRIDAY FOTO (February 11, 2021)

Shooting Over the Waves.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Thomas Contant)

Sailors assigned to the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6) participate in small arms qualification shooting on one of the ship’s aircraft elevators.

We’ve often seen photos of this kind of target shooting, usually taken from behind the shooters.

But this one really puts in perspective where such live-fire handgun testing occurs — high above the ocean. We wonder if that makes it harder to concentrate on the target, or eliminates distractions on a big, busy warship.

Click on the photo below of the USS America at sea to enlarge the image. You will see where this elevator is located, at the far end of the ship (upper right corner of photo), sticking out from the flight deck high above the sea. Granted, this week’s FRIFO appears to show the elevator is down on the hangar deck — not dizzyingly high in the air, but still over water.

 

(U.S. Navy photo via wikipedia)

America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility, as part of a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.