MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
Yes, and I wonder why. No room to launch them. Too crowded on the hangar deck?
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Yes, and I wonder why. No room to launch them. Too crowded on the hangar deck?It's interesting two SBDs and F4Fs are spotted on deck
It's interesting two SBDs and F4Fs are spotted on deck
If you study the various photos taken on board Hornet during the Doolittle raid, it becomes clear that there were movements of aircraft between hangar and flight deck and around the flight deck duing the voyage. For example:-Yes, and I wonder why. No room to launch them. Too crowded on the hangar deck?
They couldn't have landed on the Enterprise?They were prepared to launch F4Fs either by main catapults or the hangar deck catapult against an intruder, but it would have been one way, as they couldn't recover, and would have had to bail out above the task force.
My bad ... that was if Enterprise was sunk (subs and mines were a big threat) or detached.They couldn't have landed on the Enterprise?
Between 2 April 1942 when Hornet and the rest of TF18 left San Francisco and 13 April Enterprise wasn't present.They couldn't have landed on the Enterprise?
Hangar deck catapults were only fitted to the 3 Yorktown class, Wasp and the first 5 Essex class completed. In practice they were rarely used. It was later removed from Enterprise and the Essex class ships. In the latter it was replaced by a second flight deck catapult. All the later Essex class received 2 flight deck catapults from completion.They were prepared to launch F4Fs either by main catapults or the hangar deck catapult against an intruder, but it would have been one way, as they couldn't recover, and would have had to bail out above the task force.
Here's a pix of an F6F hangar launch from Yorktown.
The hangar deck system was tested with F4Fs, F6Fs, TBDs, SBDs and even TBFs.
It was common when carrying aircraft or any cargo on the flight deck to space them widely apart when cruising to keep the strain off tie down pad-eyes and give extra spacing if lines broke or came loose.
They were still using hemp tie downs at the time, and a duty of the watch keepers was to constantly check on lines, tightening and re-tying as needed ... hangar deck and flight deck ... aircraft, spares, and yellow equipment. Been there, done that well into the '60s.
That's what I would call the Right Stuff.Map of route taken by TF18 & TF16 during the Doolittle raid.
View attachment 790932
Both Wake & Marcus Islands were occupied by the Japanese. Marcus had been a target for those early 1942 carrier strikes.
And a Hyperwar article about the weather conditions desired and actual during the raid.
HyperWar: The First Raid on Japan (Aerology and Amphibious Warfare)
'Amphibious Operations: The First Raid on Japan, (Aerology and Amphibious Warfare) NAVAER 50-40T-4www.ibiblio.org
And a note about Hornet's speed on launch say from her DANFS history:-
"Consequently, Hornet changed course into the wind, working up to 15 knots at 0803, 20 knots at 0810, and 22 knots at 0814; seven minutes later, Lt. Col. Doolittle's B-25 (40-2344) began heading for the bow ramp."
Newsreel footage of the launch. Note the heavy seas causing the flight deck to pitch. Also how the B-25s were airborne before reaching the forward end of the fight deck.
View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QjQd-6lB7-8
Wind over the deck - 46 knots (24 knot natural wind, 22 knots from carrier itself).
A couple more pictures, including from a re-enactment in 1992.
View attachment 790380View attachment 790381View attachment 790382View attachment 790383View attachment 790384
Notice how all three B-25s were airborne by the time the nose cleared the island? Now, the circumstances are a bit different 50 years later. The CVN-70's flight deck is much larger (particularly longer), and there weren't 15 or 13 B-25s spotted behind giving them more space to take off. We don't know how fast CVN-70 was going, but it could have been much faster than the Hornet, and the seas were calm compared to the 1942 conditions. Finally, I'm sure the B-25s weren't nearly as heavily loaded in 1992, but all-in-all, this was a very impressive re-enaction. Great video!