Aircraft Carriers III
- Thread starter Jeff Head
- Start date
Very neat. Daughter recovered from Kali. Mission accomplished, there was some collateral damage as I was stressed at the airport. Honey Badgers not speaking to me
I just posted some photos taken aboard Nimitz in 1976...
20 Century US Navy PIX[/b]
And you can help but to notice...USN air wings are about 20 aircraft lighter than in 1976..
That's a lot of aircraft.^^. a whole bunch..lets count 'em!
24 Phantoms
24 Corsairs II
15 Intruders
3 Vigilantes
4 Prowlers
4 Hawkeyes
6 Sea Kings
2 C-1 Traders CODs
---------------------
82 aircraft....
WOW!!! ..but on the next deployment 10 S-3A Vikings of VS-24 were added so that makes for 92 aircraft...
20 Century US Navy PIX[/b]
And you can help but to notice...USN air wings are about 20 aircraft lighter than in 1976..
That's a lot of aircraft.^^. a whole bunch..lets count 'em!
24 Phantoms
24 Corsairs II
15 Intruders
3 Vigilantes
4 Prowlers
4 Hawkeyes
6 Sea Kings
2 C-1 Traders CODs
---------------------
82 aircraft....
WOW!!! ..but on the next deployment 10 S-3A Vikings of VS-24 were added so that makes for 92 aircraft...
Captain's Log supplemental: In reference to my previous post, the unseen aspect of the preparations in Pompey for the QECs is the dredging work done to allow them to use the harbour; not just the channel leading in and out of the harbour up to the new jetty but also the 'turning area', adjacent to the jetty an area large enough to 'spin' the carrier round so that it faces back to sea once more. The QEC's underwater dimensions (draft and beam) are VERY similar to a Nimitz class CVN (the US ships are longer), so I think it highly possible that next time a CVN visits the UK instead of having to drop anchor off the Isle of Wight, they might just come alongside for a change...
That would be awesome for sailors going on liberty/shore leave. Riding liberty boats just plain sucks...going ashore is ok after standing inline for what seems forever. Back in my day you had to deal with drunks on the ride back to the ship.
Being tied up in a allied nation will make it much easier for visitors to access the ship.
Shipmates loading into a JFK liberty launch in a Mediterranean port 1973...aaarrrvvv.
"The officer of the deck is shifting his watch from the navigational bridge to deck house four...dial 203 or 204."
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The QECs will use 'Liberty Boats' (Personnel Transfer Boats, PTBs) loading from a stern platform just like the US CVNs do, for occasions when an alongside port visit isn't possible. They will be carried in downward facing bays built into the port sponson and the first two boats, named 'Swordfish' and 'Buccaneer' after two of the most important Fleet Air Arm aircraft types have been delivered. The Boats can carry around 36 passengers at a time:
oh, Popeye, it's not always like that. Sometimes it's pretty dangerous business... Just an example.
Jura The idiot
General
contains this blockbuster:
"The class are not the largest class of carrier in the world but they are most likely the smallest and least expensive carrier the Royal Navy could build which still have the advantages that large carriers offer."