020826-N-2147L-001 At sea aboard USS George Washington (CVN 73) Aug. 26, 2002 – Lt. Stephen Schmidt from Chesapeake, Va., gives the signal to launch an F/A-18 "Hornet" assigned to the "Blueblasters" of Strike Fighter Squadron Three Four (VFA-34) from one of four steam driven catapults on the ship’s flight deck. Washington is homeported in Norfolk, Va. and is on a six-month deployment conducting combat missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Corey T. Lewis. (RELEASED) US Navy 020826-N-2147L-001 Hornet launches from USS Washington

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Photo credit: © PJF Military Collection / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: /-18, 73, aircraft, armed, blueblasters, conflict, cvn, deck, flight, forces, george, hornet, launch, military, oef, officers, people, states, united, uss, vfa-34, war, washington