The Fantail - Navy Blog - Navy Times

Sunday at sea — the non-routine

In the civilian world, Sunday is a day of rest. Underway on the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, it’s a workday, with a little twist.

For six days of each week at sea, life is a routine — everything happens at the same time each day, including meals, ship’s store hours, barbershops and watches, to name a few. So it’s not hard to lose track of the day of the week onboard a carrier or any other ship for that matter.

But come Sunday, you get your bearings again, as it’s hard to miss the difference.

Instead of serving breakfast and lunch, the galley is open all morning, serving brunch, shutting down at 1300 (1 p.m. for you landlubbers), and opening again at 1600 (4 p.m.) for a dinner of steak and crab legs. In the wardroom, it’s even more noticeable as the lights are turned down low during brunch to give it some atmosphere — something that’s not done on the enlisted mess decks or chief’s mess, probably for safety reasons … but who knows.

If for some reason you weren’t eating today, there are other ways to figure out it’s Sunday as it is also team ball cap day. Though most don’t wear ball caps at sea, on Sundays it’s considered kosher to wear your favorite team’s cap. Get ready to put up with crap from those around you if they disagree with your choice. Though technically it’s only authorized to wear team caps, I have seen others. I believe I caught a glimpse of an “It’s better in the Bahamas” ball cap on a sailor, complete with a painted island scene as the backdrop.

But for pilots, it gets a little crazier. For them it’s colored flight suit day, or as they call it, “s***-hot flight suit day.” In this, you will see bright red flight suits worn by the Musashis of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (light) 51 (my favorite). They stick out more than anyone else when coming down the passageway. Second in my book are the jet-black suits worn by Strike Fighter Squadron 27 “Royal Maces.” They’re pretty sharp, too. Strike Fighter Squadron 192, “The Golden Dragons,” wear a blue suit that makes you think the Blue Angels have landed onboard.

In all, it’s a colorful day, with lots of food and color to break up your routine’s routine.