POV: RIMPAC Open Ship Day in Hawaii

So this only happens every two years and I just got access to tour warships from all around the world. From destroyers to assault ships, this is RIMPAC Open Ship Day. So let's go take a look. So as soon as I step into the hanger bay, it's already packed. Civilians are pouring on board and just look at the line to get to the ships. I heard some of these waits were pushing two hours, but anyways, our first stop is New Zealand's Furgot. Before we can even step on board, sailors are already training challenge coins. And one of my fellowship mates scored this awesome coin. I mean, just check it out. This thing is sweet. Now, let's check out the ship. We start up on the bow and just look at that view overlooking the bridge. And then we make our way onto the bridge. And the view overlooking the entire ship is absolutely incredible. After checking out a few more spaces, I even got to hold one of their rifles. Before heading to the flight deck. What a way to kick things off. Next up is Peru's amphibious ship. The second I step on board, it's a completely different atmosphere. There's a gift stand with trinkets, coins, souvenirs, and best of all, alcohol. And then we check out this vehicle. Before heading up to the flight deck. Just look at the size of that flag. And they've even got a helicopter on display that you could tour. After that, we had below the hanger bay into the well deck. This area is designed to launch landing crafts and you can even see an LCAC in the back. We even got to go further down into the engine rooms. And the control panels. Pretty sweet stuff. After leaving the Peruvian ship, I ran into a couple of guys who just came off of a Mexican ship. They were carrying tequila bottles, flags, challenge coins, you name it. Our next stop was the South Korean Navy ship. Unfortunately, they didn't allow any cameras, phones, or photography on board. But I'll tell you what, it is one of the cleanest ships I have ever stepped foot on. After touring in the Australian ship, again, no filming inside. But the outside was absolutely beautiful and the crew couldn't have been more welcoming. But my favorite part about this ship is probably the fact that there's a kangaroo on the side of it. And of course, there were Mexican ships, but the lines were just too long for me to wait. But from a distance, it looked like they were throwing a full-on celebration. You could hear the music from across the base, people were dancing and it looked like an awesome time. And that's a wrap on my RIMPAC Open Ship Day experience. Stay salty shipmates.