Out of the Blue

Four days aboard the French nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle

One of the most intriguing aspects of being a defence journalist is when you receive a telephone call out of the blue inquiring whether you can be at the airport within the next few days, with your overnight bag packed, and not too many other questions asked.

This happened to me several years ago when in response to a call from the US Embassy, I had flown to Adelaide without much idea of where I would be sleeping that night. As it turned out, my next destination ended up being the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS John C Stennis, which at the time was transiting from Perth to Hobart.