
The twin engines of the F/A-18 Super Hornet build into a roar and the $70million supersonic jet is catapulted from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson with an ear-splitting blast.

The aircraft disappears off the bow of the enormous nuclear-powered super carrier in a haze of steam, the bright glow of its engines disappearing into the distance.

This is one of the planes the man in charge of the supercarrier wants Kim Jong-Un to fear - because the Vinson is due to set sail for waters close to North Korea.

President Trump arrives in South Korea Monday night putting him on Kim's doorstep as tensions mount over the 'little Rocket Man's' escalating nuclear threat.

Now one of the president's most important commanders tells DailyMailTV that his sailors are ready for anything - and that Kim needs to 'think carefully' when Carrier Strike Group One is in his waters.

Rear Admiral John Fuller, Commander of Carrier Strike Group 1, will lead the Vinson, its ferocious armament of planes, and its escort of Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers and a guided missile cruiser.

Don't mess with our Hornets: DailyMailTV witnessed the incredible sight of hundreds of sailors and airmen on board the 1,092ft long, 117,000 sq ft USS Carl Vinson as they put its four aircraft catapults through their paces. Its aircraft include the Hornet and Super Hornets and the EA-18 Growler (pictured) electronic attack aircraft, which jams enemy radar systems

Aboard the 95,000 ton vessel, the twin engines of the F/A-18C Hornet were heard roaring off as the $70 million aircraft was catapulted off the deck. The strike fighter aircraft, which can reach Mach 1.8 (1,190mph), disappeared off the bow of the super carrier in a haze of steam

Preparation: Before liftoff, Navy crew work diligently to ensure the aircraft is ready and the flight deck clean and clear of foreign objects. Mini tractors tow the F/A18s into place and the Top Gun pilots ready the jets for take off

Commander Brian 'Convict' Felloney gets ready for take-off. The decorated pilot has more than 620 carrier landings on his record, and was a Top Gun instructor on a previous deployment

This is how the Vinson deploys: In May the supercarrier was photographed from the air as it and the whole strike group got an escort from two South Korean destroyers, the Sejong the Great and the Yang Manchun. The Carl Vinson's U.S. Navy escorts were the USS Lake Champlain, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers the USS Michael Murphy and the USS Stethem

In an exclusive interview with DailyMailTV Rear Admiral Fuller says his strike group is 'ready and in a direct message to Kim says: 'He knows the capabilities we have.

'Right now there are three aircraft carriers there, when we go through there - if we go off the coast [of North Korea] depending on our operations - he needs to think very carefully on how he works with us, he needs to understand that we have capabilities that no other country has.'

Standing on the deck of the Vinson, those capabilities are in no doubt.

DailyMailTV joined the Rear Admiral and crew of the Vinson as the huge warship left its port in San Diego for a series of exercises ahead of its deployment.

The ship raised its two 60,000lb anchors and set sail from Naval Air Station North Island, in Coronado.

Capable of reaching more than 30 knots (35mph) the Nimitz-class supercarrier - one of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in the US Fleet - headed out into the Pacific Ocean.

DailyMailTV witnessed the awesome sight of hundreds of sailors and airmen on board the 1,092ft long, 117,000 sq ft warship put its four aircraft catapults through their paces.

Four giant elevators brought aircraft up from the hangar deep below the 4.5 acre flight deck as Super Hornets lined up on deck to be catapulted into the air - just like in a real war.

The USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Theodore Roosevelt are both in the region amid ongoing tensions with North Korea. The Vinson will relieve the USS Ronald Reagan, keeping two carrier strike groups in the Western Pacific.

The ship is the same vessel that was used to transport Osama bin Laden's body for its burial at sea in 2011.

Last week it was reported that the USS Nimitz had left the Middle East and is also heading to the Pacific to join the US Navy's 7th Fleet area of operations.

Rear Admiral John Fuller (pictured above in the flag bridge aboard the ship) Commander of Carrier Strike Group 1, will lead the Vinson. He said his strike group is 'ready' and in a direct message to Kim said: 'He knows the capabilities we have'

All hands on deck: One of the most important men on the flight deck is Lieutenant Commander Erick Stroud (left) who serves as the Aircraft Handling Officer (ACHO) - also called the handler or mangler and manages the movement and positioning of aircraft. Jet blast deflector (JBD) operator ABE3 Jasper Evans's (right) job is to raise the JBD to protect his shipmates from getting 'burnt or blown away off the flight deck'

President Trump will visit Asia for the first time when he leaves Washington D.C. on Friday for a 12-day trip which will include China, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam.

The might of the Vinson is part of his message to the region's leaders - that America has its allies' backs, and its enemies should be afraid.

The Rear Admiral said: 'There happens to be three carriers there that are gonna be working together for a while. This is good timing for us.

'We're going to go out to provide presence, stability, we're going to go work with our partners and allies, we're going to try to foment rules, laws and norms of theater.'

North Korea has not test-launched a missile in over a month, but has continued its threats on Guam and last week even threatened to detonate a nuclear weapon above ground.

Fuller, 52, the son of a retired Army colonel, said the 'scheduled short cycle' deployment is the Vinson's 'opportunity'.

'I just know the Carl Vinson strike group is going to do the training to be ready to do what we're called to do,' he said.

Petty Officer 3rd class Joseph Newman, a 42-year-old nine-year veteran of the US Navy from Evansville, Indiana, is in charge of communications on the flight deck

'We're gonna go prepare our forces and our team to make sure that whatever missions they call us to do, so this provides perspective, Korea is one possible contingency plan that the aircraft carrier strike group is supposed to support.'

The Rear Admiral said the 'beauty' of what a carrier strike group brings is to project 'awesome' power at sea.

'We don't have to ask permission to go to some other land to operate our forces, we have the opportunity to use the seas to maneuver freely and we have the capability to project power from the sea as required.

'But it is also a very stabilizing thing for our friends and allies that this capability is there as needed, we have the will power to use it and we have the proficiency to use it well.'

The Rear Admiral insists, however that the Navy's first line of defense is to 'promote peace', adding: 'My job is to make sure if they decide to use the capabilities an aircraft carrier and a strike group has, that we're prepared to deliver those.

'The civilian policy maker will do what they feel is in the best interests.

'But I owe it to the parents of my sailors to make sure we're ready.'

On deck getting ready is a complex task. Mini tractors tow the F/A18s into place and the Top Gun pilots ready the jets for take off.

Commanding Officer of the Vinson, Captain Doug 'V8' Verissimo gives the order and the jets roar into action.

Jet blast deflector (JBD) operator ABE3 Jasper Evans, who is known as a 'Green Jersey' describes the 'intense' moment a F/A-18 takes off.

His job is to raise the JBD to protect his shipmates from the searing heat of a jet engine.

'Whenever the aircraft is getting ready to launch they throttle up and I raise the JBD so that no one behind can get burnt or blown away off the flight deck,' he explained.

'It gets really hot up here, really intense. But we're fully protected, we wear float coats, flight deck pants and jersey, and a helmet and goggles.'

Evans, 27, is in his fourth year with the US Navy. Originally from Lawrenceville, Georgia, he has just one year left to complete his service.

Donald Trump kicked off his 12-day Asian trip in Japan on Sunday. The President met with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests

He has been on two long deployments overseas and is used to the strict routine of life at sea.

'Everything is routine on a ship, you wake up at a certain time, go eat breakfast and get ready for when they call flight operations and we come upstairs on the flight deck, we suit up and get ready to launch the aircraft.

'A work day ends at 10 or 11 o'clock and it repeats - very long days.'

The flight deck is awash with dedicated crewmen like Evans wearing different colored jerseys.

Green jerseys operate the JBDs, aircraft handlers wear yellow jerseys, blue jerseys work in the hangar bay and purple jerseys refuel the aircraft, while red jerseys handle aviation ordinance and crash and salvage.

The whole manic scene is watched over by white jerseys.

Interior Communications Electrician Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph Newman from Evansville, Indiana is in charge of communications on the flight deck.

Everyday is routine on the ship as Navy crew are expected to wake up early in the morning, eat breakfast, get ready, arrive on the flight deck, suit up, and prepare to launch the aircraft. A typical work day ends at 10pm or 11pm

The flight deck is awash with dedicated crewmen wearing different colored jerseys. Green jerseys (center) operate the jet blast deflectors, and aircraft handlers wear yellow jerseys (right)

'I take care of all the maintenance of the cameras, the comms systems and the deck lighting as well as the lights up on the island,' he explains.

Blue jerseys work in the hangar bay and purple jerseys refuel the aircraft, while red jerseys handle aviation ordinance and crash and salvage. The Hornets, Super Hornets and Growlers are moved up to the flight desk on huge aircraft elevators

Four giant elevators brought aircraft up from the hangar deep below the 4.5 acre flight deck as Super Hornets lined up on deck to be catapulted into the air - just like in a real war

'I also take care of the 'meat ball', [a gray boom that displays lights that pilots use to help during the final seconds of landing].

'You'll hear the pilots say they're on the ball as they come in to land. We also take care of all the sound power headsets that the crew use to communicate, we keep things running.

'It's a big job, up here in V2 and air department and we also have ICs downstairs in combat systems.'

Newman is a 42-year-old nine-year veteran of the US Navy and has served on the Vinson for six years.

'I joined late, I did apartment maintenance before this.'

But perhaps the most important man on the flight deck is Lieutenant Commander Erick Stroud.

Stroud is the Aircraft Handling Officer (ACHO) - also called the handler or mangler and manages the movement and positioning of aircraft.

Stroud, 42, a married father of four from Griffin, Georgia, said the most important part of the preparations is keeping his flight deck clean and free of foreign objects.

'I don't want to be associated with damaging a $70million aircraft so we go to the extreme to make sure we're prepared,' he said.

The ship operates four squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornets, one squadron of EA-18G Growlers, and Seahawk helicopters for transportation and maritime patrols

Also on board is a squadron of E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft - designed to detect jets, ships and other vehicles from long distances

There are more than 3,500 crew on the Vinson which swells to 5,300 when the full air wing is on embarked, as it was in this 2011 photograph. The warship – call sign 'Gold Eagle' - can operate for up to 20 years without refueling since it is nuclear-powered

Speaking from his control room – a buzz of phone calls and radio chatter - just off the flight deck, he added: 'This is the nucleus of aviation and flight operations, I control the entire flight deck as well as movement in the hangar bay and all the people involved, we have about 600 people working in those two areas and we integrate with the squadrons, that's about 500 people.

'That's 1,100 people working together seamlessly to make this all happen.'

DON'T MESS WITH OUR SUPER HORNETS The twin-engine strike fighter aircraft were first introduced to the US Navy in 1999 to replace the F-14 Tomcat, made famous in the hit movie Top Gun. The F/A-18 Super Hornet can reach Mach 1.8, which is equivalent to 1,190mph at 40,000 ft. On the Vinson they operate alongside the older Hornet and the related Growler. The Super Hornets' armament includes: One M61A1/A2 Vulcan 20mm cannon The strike fighter has 11 hard points on its wings and under the main fuselage which can carry a mixture of: Missiles: Four AIM 9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles Two AIM 7 Sparrow/ (2) AIM-120 AMRAAM One Standoff Land Attack Missile One AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile One HARM (Anti-Radiation Missile) - designed to destroy enemy radar systems Maverick air to ground missiles: Joint Stand-Off Weapon (JSOW); Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). Bombs: Paveway laser guided bomb; JDAMs (joint direct attack munitions); freefall bombs; mines. As of 2011, 500 Super Hornets have been built on single-seat (F/A-18E) and twin-seat (F/A-18F) variations. Source: US NAVY Advertisement

Stroud keeps an eye on two large digital status boards showing the movements of aircraft on the flight deck but he also uses an old school 'Ouija Board' – a scaled replica of the flight deck on which templates of aircraft are moved around based on messages radioed in from spotters.

The lieutenant commander, a 25-year veteran, has four catapults to launch aircraft at his disposal as well as four arresting cables to recover the aircraft.

He moves the aircraft up from the hangar bay in the guts of the ship on four giant elevators.

When planes make an arrested landing, pilots aim to hit the No 3 cable of four arrested cables numbered 1-4 from aft to forward.

Their performance goes up on a board so it gets competitive.

But crew safety is of utmost importance.

Stroud explains: 'There's a red and white foul line, which is said to be drawn in blood, because you have to judge where the aircraft is coming in and everybody has to stand on the opposite side of the line.

'If an aircraft is coming in and you get one of the tall guys level with the wing on the wrong side of the line, it'll take his head off and we'll have a body to clean up.

'When we get into that level of complacency, where we get into the same routine every day, launching planes and recovering planes, that one second of being inattentive is dangerous.

'You have to keep your head on a swivel no matter what.'

Everyone on the Vinson seems on point inside the 3,000 room hull underneath the flight deck.

There are several cafeterias, nine gyms, a Starbucks-style coffee shop and 'luxury' state rooms for 'Distinguished Visitors'.

Since it is nuclear-powered, the Vinson – call sign 'Gold Eagle' - can operate for up to 20 years without refueling. It also has anti-submarine capabilities.

The seal of the ship is an eagle with extended wings, carrying a banner in its beak.

The Latin phrase 'Vis Per Mare' -'Strength through the Sea' - is inscribed on the banner.

The ship operates four squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornets, one squadron of EA-18G Growlers - which disrupt enemy radar - one squadron of E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft, as well as a compliment of C2-A Greyhound transport planes and Seahawk helicopters.

There are more than 3,500 crew on the Vinson, which swells to 5,300 when the air wing is on board, which means working seven days a week with shifts often lasting 12 hours or more. But few complain about living on the floating city.

The massive warship has a 3,000-room hull below the flight deck which includes several cafeterias, nine gyms, a Starbucks-style coffee shop and 'luxury' state rooms for 'Distinguished Visitors'

On a daily average, the Navy spends around $60,000 feeding sailors and on Sunday, they serve a special brunch meal which includes Belgian waffles or some shrimp

In addition to the gym facilities, sailors also have the opportunity to take Zumba and spin classes, weight-lifting and functional fitness classes and even rowing club

Chief Warrant Officer Dan Ayars is food service officer, the man responsible for making sure the ship's hungry crew is fed.

'We serve four meals a day, breakfast, lunch, dinner and a night meal for the watch standards who have to work throughout the night,' he said.

'On a daily average we spend around $60,000 to feed the crew, which is roughly about 15-20 pallets worth of food.

'A special day for us is Sunday, we do a brunch we serve things like Belgian waffles, some shrimp, a special chance to give the sailors a chance to refresh for the next week.'

After filling up a lot of the sailors like to keep fit. Dan Larrow is in charge of putting them through their paces in the ship's nine gyms.

'I am a fitness director, if you imagine this warship as a large 24 hour fitness, we have 4,500 sailors and we treat them all as our clients,' he explains.

Larrow says as well as running and maintaining the gyms he puts together the fitness schedule and offers Zumba and spin classes, weight-lifting and functional fitness classes and even rowing club.

'Any sailor on any watch on any schedule can come to our classes,' he added.

'What's really incredible is that we not only get the younger sailors at our classes but we get the captain of the ship, the XO [executive officer] of the ship and the admiral of the ship, when I train them... it's the first time in a very long time someone is telling them what to do. It's my time to make them work a little bit harder.'

Running the Vinson, let alone a whole Carrier Strike Group, is a huge undertaking and one that Fuller doesn't take lightly.

He says he's incredibly 'honored and humbled' to be in the position he's in.

'I never expected that I would have the opportunity to lead such an awesome fighting force and such an awesome group of sailors. It hasn't even really sunk in, I'm just amazed I get this chance here. I am exceptionally proud of that.'

And the commander says America should be equally proud of the US Navy's achievements.

He said: 'The most awesome thing we have is some of the best people in America who volunteered to help protect and promote prosperity for our American citizens and then with those great people we have fantastic equipment and systems that allow us to project power from the sea for sustained periods of time in ways no other country can.'

Soon the Vinson will be in Kim's waters - and those people and equipment could be tested as never before.