Courtesy of U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Peter H. Daly served on the USS Nimitz during the filming of CARRIER.

He oversees operations on one of the most dangerous platforms in the world and is prepared to lead a diverse group of sailors and Marines into harm’s way.

So why does Rear Admiral Peter H. Daly believe “commanding a carrier strike group is simply one of the best possible jobs on this planet!”? Could it be the opportunity, challenge and sheer joy of being in command at sea as reflected in the journey captured by the film CARRIER?

“You never know when you leave port where you might end up,” Rear Adm. Daly said, noting that itineraries change at a moment’s notice and a deployment is anything but routine for a force that offers regional stability, reassures allies, and deters potential adversaries.

On any deployment the main challenge, he said, focuses on maintaining combat readiness in an unforgiving environment while developing people so they advance personally and professionally. This journey, however, added concern for the safety of a film crew and its potential distraction to the focus of his own crew. Amid it all, he found moments of joy from combat operations and nixing the Australia jinx to the Tiger Cruise.

Rear Adm. Daly said he was surprised by content of the film CARRIER and felt the public might be surprised too. Before the initial broadcast of the film in April 2008, he took time to answer a few questions.

Read the interview with Admiral Daly »

In May 2005, the USS Nimitz embarked on a six-month deployment to the Pacific and Indian Oceans and the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Global War on Terrorism. These operations helped stabilize the maritime environment and complemented the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations.

The Nimitz and its air wing, Air Wing 11, launched more than 4,500 sorties totaling more than 11,000 flight hours. More than 1,100 sorties and 6,000 flight hours were flown in direct support of troops on the ground in Iraq.

Ships from the Nimitz Strike Group also conducted 286 queries, 410 approaches and 14 boardings of foreign vessels in support of Fifth Fleet Maritime Security Operations.

During the deployment, the Nimitz Strike Group made a number of port visits throughout the Western Pacific and Arabian Gulf including stops in Hawaii, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Bahrain, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Nimitz also made her first-ever stops in Guam and Perth, Australia before returning to California in November 2005.