Ship Happens!: A Tiger Cruise Tale

A Tiger Cruise Tale is a personal blend of my past relationship with my two children-when they were younger and living at home-and a high sea adventure as a civilian on a U.S. Navy supply ship. Following my son's eight-month deployment to the Persian Gulf when the Iraqi War broke out in 2003, my daughter and I were invited to spend six nights on a Navy warship sailing from Pearl Harbor to Bremerton Naval Base, Washington. It was a fascinating journey filled with military awe and family bounding. According to a Navy librarian, the Tiger Cruise program may have been established in the 1970s as Operation Tiger. It allowed sailors to bring their young children, called "tigers," for a short trip at sea. The definition of tiger evidently evolved to include adults; however, my original invitation to the cruise excluded spouses. Apparently, the Navy didn't want any hanky-panky at sea. But I was not a spouse, and I looked forward to the adventure with my own two tigers at sea. The trip was more than a joyride. It had purpose-threefold. I wanted to honor my son, Tim, for enlisting in the U.S. Navy following the terrorist attack on 9/11; to provide a opportunity for my twenty-five year old daughter to see what living was like on a military warship; and for her to serve with me as family ambassadors when her brother greeted his wife and first child, who was born while Tim was at sea.