Sixteen business and civic leaders from Hawai'i spent two days on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis off the coast of O'ahu Monday and yesterday as part of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's "distinguished visitor" program, the Navy said.

Stennis departed its home port in Bremerton, Wash., on Jan. 13 for a six-month western Pacific and Middle East-region deployment.

The Navy said the deployment is part of its Fleet Response Plan, which is designed to allow the United States the ability to rapidly respond to any global commitment on short notice.

Approximately 5,000 sailors are assigned to Stennis and the embarked Carrier Air Wing 9.

The distinguished visitor program offered the business and civic leaders and Honolulu Navy League members a first-hand look at the day-to-day operations taking place aboard an aircraft carrier at sea.

"There is no better word than 'excited' to describe how I felt before heading out to the carrier because it's something I've always wanted to do," said Jack Parker, president of Summit Construction Inc. "I was amazed by the crew, the extensive operations and how much we were able to see during our time on the ship. It was truly a memorable trip."

The visitors were transported to and from the carrier on C-2A Greyhound, also known as a COD (carrier on-board delivery) aircraft. They experienced both landing on and taking off from a carrier at sea.

The carrier air wing has two full squadrons of helicopters for a total of about 19 aircraft — about seven more than usual — with an eye to anti-piracy and humanitarian missions.