World Armed Forces Pictures & Videos

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

Darth I posted something about that in the old forum...But here I go again..



This above link is about the sorry ass way the USN & shipbreakers handled the scrapping of the Coral Sea. Excellent article.

The scrapping of the Coarl Sea took seven friggin' years. It was a disaster. the USN never did properly prepare the ship to be scrapped. All sorts of enviroment concerns arose. a couple of shipwreckers went bankrupt. This is the reason the USN may never scrap another ship. What a disaster.
Here's the link and text..



The Scrapping
Placed out of commission and struck from the Naval Vessels Register on 30 April 1991 after 44 years of service, Coral Sea was sold to N.R. Vessel Corp. of New York City on 30 March 1993, for scrapping. The scrapping was subcontracted to Seawitch Salvage of Baltimore. In service Coral Sea had recorded more arrested landings than any ship other than the training carrier USS Lexington, and after retirement she would set another record: the largest warship ever scrapped. Her vast size, and the fact that Seawolf had never attempted a project on this scale, would cause problems down the road.
During 1994 the scrapping work shifted to the aft section of the ship. All sections of the flight deck aft of the forward hangar bulkhead were removed and sections of the hangar walls were cut up. The island was demolished in June, 1994. The hulk moored beside Coral Sea is that of a vessel named Seawitch, the first project Seawitch Salvage undertook, and the source of the company's name.

Environmental issues, and problems encountered during the scrapping operation, put a stop to scrapping work in August 1994. At this stage everything above the hangar floor, except the forward flight deck and some hangar walls, had been removed. Piles of debris littered the ship.

Late in 1995 the ship's owners announced the hulk would be sold for scrapping in China. The hulk was cleaned out and made ready for the tow vbefore the Navy blocked the sale in the courts. Scrapping work resumed in March 1996, only to stop again in August, when Seawitch was indicted on criminal charges related to the scrapping. Fires broke out aboard the hulk in November 1996 and May 1997. Scrapping work had resumed by mid-1997, and proceeded at a slow pace. The lower portions of the hulk still remained in 1999, and scrapping was finally completed in August 2000.

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

USS Coral Sea CVA-43 in port NAS Cubi Pt Philippines 1965



CV-43 at "Gitmo" Cuba 1948..note the "straight deck"



CV-43 anchored of St Thomas US Virgin Islands 1989

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

US Navy..

San Diego (Feb. 15, 2006) - An HH-60H Seahawk helicopter assigned to
Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island provides an escort for security,
to the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5) as she heads out to sea.
Peleliu and her crew are leaving San Diego for a six-month deployment


Persian Gulf (Feb. 19, 2006) - The amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50),
front, receives supplies from an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter during a vertical replenishment
(VERTREP) with the Military Sealift Command (MSC) combat store ship USNS Niagara Falls
(T-AFS 3), as the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Bayleaf (A 109) approaches the
USS Nassau (LHA 4) for a replenishment at sea (RAS).


Yokosuka, Japan (Feb. 23, 2006) - Aviation Electronics Technician 3rd Class Cherng Chu,
removes a potentiometer from an aircraft radar antenna aboard the conventionally-powered
USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63).

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

I find it strange theat the US navy did not adopt storm bow or armoured flight deck inspite of their experince with the japanese not olny that but the flight deck of the essex class class is made out of wood! over all is strange that they turned out to be that sucessful after all

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

darth sidious said:

I find it strange theat the US navy
did not adopt storm bow or armoured flight deck inspite of
their experince with the japanese not olny that but the
flight deck of the essex class class is made out of wood!
over all is strange that they turned out to be that sucessful after all

Click to expand...

Huh??

The USN did adopt hurricane bows(enclosed)and
armoured on the Midway class. The hurricane bow
came after a major re-fit in the late 50's.
The Midways were built with armoured flight decks
as have been all subsequence USN CV's.

The armoured flight deck was a British design.

The Essex/Ticonderoga class was built with a
wooden flight deck because of the numbers
built(cost cutting)during WW 2. The teal wood
was laid over sleel plating.

I served on one Essex/Ticonderoga Class the USS Hancock CV-19.

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

Some ships of the Essex/Tico class were never modified
Check out their uses.

USS Boxer (LPH-4) ex-CVA-21 At Mayport, Florida, in August 1965, just prior to departing for Vietnam with elements of the Army's First Cavalry Division on board. She carried 1200 personnel, 205 helicopters and 6 OV-1 airplanes to the combat zone. Aircraft on her flight deck include 6 OV-1 (dark colored-forward); 4 CH-54 (white-just forward of island); 56 CH-47 (dark colored-amidships and aft) and 36 UH-1 (white-amidships and forward). The remaining 109 helicopters are presumably stowed on Boxer's hangar deck


USS Valley Forge (LPH-8) ex-CV-45 transfomed into an LPH. Underway in the Pacific Ocean, circa 1962-63, prior to her "FRAM II" overhaul. She has fifteen UH-34 helicopters spotted in take-off positions on her flight deck.
Photo was received by "All Hands" magazine on 22 July 1963.

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

a wooden flight deck is not a good idea espescialy considering some of the
more sucidial weapon the japanese came up with in the late war years
that probely prevent them from handling the phantom although the size of the F-4 must have also contirbuated to thaat

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

darth sidious said:

a wooden flight deck is not a good idea espescialy considering some of the
more sucidial weapon the japanese came up with in the late war years
that probely prevent them from handling the phantom although the size of the F-4 must have also contirbuated to thaat

Click to expand...

That's right darth... An F-4 was way to heavy for an Essex/Tico class. They weight alone would have torn up the flight deck. Not to mention the afterburners. I'm not sure the cats on one could launch a Phantom.



This Phantom driver had a bad day! Ooppss he's a Marine!


I coulda been on the roof when this pic was taken..


I love the old paint jobs on Navy aircraft

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

That's right darth... An F-4 was way to heavy for an Essex/Tico class. They weight alone would have torn up the flight deck. Not to mention the afterburners. I'm not sure the cats on one could launch a Phantom.

Click to expand...

As a interesting sidemark, back in the late 60's when UK was planning replacement for the ageing Victorious, Eagle and Ark Royal, USA offer two modernized Essex class cariers wiht even furhter upgrading so that they would have been able to operate RN's Phantoms. I don't know what exactly was planned to rebuild but i believe that at least catabults would have been replaced. ALthoug this offer was very generous and coupled wiht atractive prize, brits went on wiht their illfamous CVA-01 project which failure eventually led to the desicion to run down the RN's carrier fleet...leaving the country first introducted carriers whit only few hybrid cruisers (invincible class...)

Re: World Armed Forces Pic Thread

As a interesting sidemark, back in the late 60's when UK was planning replacement for the ageing Victorious, Eagle and Ark Royal, USA offer two modernized Essex class cariers wiht even furhter upgrading so that they would have been able to operate RN's Phantoms.

Click to expand...

Golly..you are alive! How's that vodka taste?:

I'm not sure about what you posted but I know the US was planning to sell two of the Midway class CV's to Austraila and Britian in the late 70's.(CVA-42 & CV-43) But the deal fell through. Check these pics of the Midway class. Note the differences.

USS Midway CV-41


USS Franklin D. Roosevelt CVA-42


USS Coral Sea CV-43