We are onboard the USS Carl Vinson heading North West (away from Seattle) in the Puget Sound. The people in the picture were crew members of the Vinson in 1998. The Civilians (of which I was part of) had a special area on the flight deck where we could observe the flight operations of 6 aircraft that remained on the Vinson. The rest of the aircraft had flow home to San Diego. This was a 12 hour sailing for a "family day" where we got to experience life on board the carrier. Sleeping the bunks, eating the dining hall, touring most parts of the ship. (Many areas were of course off limits and guarded by Marines). The helicopter in the background was also launched from the Vinson and is there as a safety precaution in case a jet has an issue landing or taking off. Having a safety chopper in the air already makes for a faster recovery of the pilot. Fortunately, they chopper had no recoveries and the day went off without a hitch!