Petty Officer 2nd Class Jade Paisley, left, and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Johnpaulo Clavio work on the Navy’s sculpture for the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan, Jan. 29, 2024. (Matthew Fischer/U.S. Navy)
SAPPORO, Japan — A new class of aircraft carrier — one carved from snow — is appearing at the 74th annual Sapporo Snow Festival, a world-renowned stage in Japan for cold weather sculptors.
A team of U.S. sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa in northeastern Japan crafted their rendition of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of its class and the world’s largest aircraft carrier, for this year’s festival.
The Misawa team of 14 sailors had never taken part in the festival before they picked up their chisels on Jan. 28, NAF Misawa spokesman Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Fischer told Stars and Stripes in an email interview as the sculpture was underway.
The sailors volunteered for the task, which took six days to complete.
“It’s hard to pass on a job like this, to be able to come to Sapporo for work and experience this,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Peter Hinson.
Festival organizers gave the team a 16-by-16 block atop a larger, rectangular base. From there, they carved a rough shape and then removed large chunks of snow until they reached the finer details.
Last year’s Navy team sculpted the bow of the guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke.
“I don’t know if the design is more difficult (than last year’s), but we are putting our best foot forward to showcase our alliance and partnership with Japan,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class William Brown.
Naval Air Facility Misawa sailors pose with their snow carrier at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan, Feb. 3, 2024. (Matthew Fischer/U.S. Navy)
Yoko-Pon, the mascot for Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, stops for a selfie at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Feb. 5, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
Petty Officer 2nd Class William Brown works on a snow carrier for the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan, Jan. 29, 2024. (Matthew Fischer/U.S. Navy)
The Sapporo Snow Festival began in 1950 and brings snow sculptors from around the world to the city on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands.
Other notable sculptures this year were inspired by the rock band Queen, the “Golden Kamuy” manga series, and horse racing. The works will be on display until the festival ends on Sunday.
“We’re across from a wall of amazing carvings, featuring life-size elephants and massive dragons,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Brierley. “While most groups start with a cube like ours, some work with blocks the size of houses, showcasing incredible effort and talent.”
A team of 30 to 40 Japanese created an “amazingly beautiful” house of ice, he said.
A team of U.S. sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa crafted their rendition of the USS Gerald R. Ford for this year’s Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
Sailors from Naval Air Facility Misawa pose for photos near their snow carrier at the Sapporo Snow Festival in Hokkaido, Japan, Feb. 5, 2024. (Jonathan Snyder/Stars and Stripes)
The Navy team added a bridge on the flight deck and the Ford’s number, 78, and created small jets of snow, Brierly said.
“Despite our limited carving experience and limited tools, we’re giving our maximum effort to make our sculpture stand out,” he said.
The annual festival project is a great team-building exercise, Brown said.
“I could not have asked for a better group of people to be out here with,” he said. “The camaraderie is like nothing I’ve experienced.”
