THE US Navy aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk has arrived in Sydney Harbour. The super carrier, accompanied by four other US navy ships, will berth at the Garden Island naval base and remain in Sydney until Tuesday.The ships had been part of the joint Australian-US military exercise Talisman Sabre in Queensland.
Meanwhile, acting NSW Premier John Watkins has extended a warm welcome to the Kitty Hawk's 5000 "cashed-up'' sailors. "We hope they have a great stay while they are here until next Tuesday,'' Mr Watkins told reporters.
The Kitty Hawk is no stranger to Sydney, having berthed here before in 2005 and 2001. Its familiarity has done little to dampen the enthusiasm for its arrival with talkback radio callers charting its course into the harbour.
Sydneysiders wanting to catch a glimpse of the mighty craft have been urged to catch public transport to the harbour. Sydney's CBD traffic was chaotic when thousands of people flocked into the city to see the Queen Elizabeth II and Queen Mary II as they were docked in Sydney in February. In a bid to avoid a repeat of those scenes, extensive clearway and no-parking provisions have been put in place around the Woolloomooloo area.