“Launch ‘em“, by the grace of a good man keeping his “Nose” to the grindstone. Used to watch this in the Ready Room back when I was a wee nobbut, but it disappeared about the same time we transitioned from reel-to-reel roll ‘ems to VHS (ack, spfft!).
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Someone did a similar Vietnam Era movie, but using stop action. The pilots scooted around the flight deck on their butts. Anyone ever see it, or better yet have a link to it? I’ve searched without success.
Oh, that is hilarious!! I’m sitting here in an empty house laughing my head off. I love the ready room scenes and the last few launches. OMG!
*still laughing*
So, this is the way we’re winning this war. It must be a Navy Training film. We wouldn’t want the enemy to see it.
Yeah, right! (snicker, snicker)
Funny allright, but the most interesting thing for me is seeing the name Cmdr. E.P. Aurand in the beginning credits after all the Sam Shapiros. Aurand retired as a VAdm, and was a regular visitor at my father’s office when I was little. He was full of stories, for he flew an SBD off the original Lex back in March ‘42 against the Japanese at Lae (winning a Navy Cross for that strike). After that he shot down 3 Japanese while flying nightfighter Hellcats. Aurand was also one of the first pilots to land a jet aboard a carrier, when he brought an FJ Fury onto the U.S.S. Boxer. He ended his career as ComASWPac in the mid 60’s before retiring.
I have his autograph in a book about the FJ Fury, and some old aeronatical prints from him. But my most valued possession is an account he typed out about his strike effort in March 1942. Admiral Aurand is a big reason why I became interested in Aviation. I owe a lot to the tales of this old Aviator who flew back in the days of “Wooden planes and Iron Men.
Did our carriers REALLY used to have escalators?!
it all appears exactly as i always envisioned it.
what do you mean it ain’t real?
cas, before the Nimitz-class, most of the squadron ready rooms were on the main deck, six decks down from the flight deck. The escalators let the aircrew go from the second deck to the O-4 level carrying 40-odd pounds of gear in a hurry without popping a gasket.
Was the idea, anyway. They were often broken.
cas,
I was on a destroyer once (Spruance-class, Spru-can, your mileage may vary) that had a bowling alley. Rolled my first Turkey when we were pierside in Saipan. Great frame, that one.
Only problem was they plastic (I think it may have been Formica) over aluminum because of the fire hazard from using wood. So the Professional Bowling Association (PBA) wouldn’t recognize any games played onboard as “official,” which was kind of a bummer.
Those ships are all decommissioned now so I can’t show you one. You can trust me though.
Drew C.- Your story reminds me of the tales of POWs in Vietnam drawing diagrams of aircraft carriers for their captors. Specifically, how they were always sure to include the locations of the swimming pools and the pens for the goats and chickens.
Thanks, Lex, that’s a blast from the past I had not seen in many, many years.
No quotes or refs from Adm Gallery?
Cheers
#8. DrewC – Unlike your haze-grey underway apocryphal “bowling alleys”, lex’s aircraft carrier “escalators” were once indeed, very real.
Starting with the Essex class, because of newer and heavier Cat and A-gear machinery and space needed, pilot ready rooms were moved from below the flight deck down to below the hangar deck. To compensate for the added distance to the flight deck, an escalator was put on the starboard side to move aircrews quickly from down below to the flight deck.
In later aircraft carrier classes, the escalator was removed (it rarely worked anyway). It was then that the two ship’s fighter squadron ready rooms onboard were moved upward to just under the flight deck ( O-2 level or so, depending on the carrier) so as to be closer for a fast alert launch, while the attack and other ready rooms generally remained down low below the mess decks, since their alert launch priority was less.
Re: filterman
Why, good sir, I believe you are casting a most vile aspersion on my earlier comment.
Humph. If they did not exist (as I believe you are asserting,) then why would I know it’s where we kept the batteries for the sound powered phones, the relative bearing grease, the jet wash, the mast cranks, and mail buoy hook?
Apocryphal, indeed.
In all seriousness though, I wonder if the root cause of the escalator failure was something along the lines of “#$%$ pilots can go up the ladders like the rest of us!”
Drew C.,
Why would Spruance class need jet wash if they could only handle SH-3s?
Now I know the CV/CVNs had jet wash; the outlets were right next to the lockers where we kept the flight line.
Great to see this again. Was always a hoot back in the day when it made it to the ready room…. back when each squadron had their own 16mm projector. Woe betide the Ready Room Officer (typically the lowest ranking officer in the squadron) who let the bulb burn out and not have a spare ready!!!
I remember another movie put together by an A7 squadron, done in the same sped-up style. The A7s opened and folded their wings as they taxied so it looked like they were flapping their wings. One plane “wouldn’t start” so the mechanic adjusted something, looked down the duct and was sucked in. He came out the tailpipe covered in soot and gave the pilot a thumbs up.
George V.
Sara had 2 escalators, one aft and one amidships. They were “reversible” and there was some pretty complicated “Escalator service etiquette” involved. After about 7pm most nights, the aft one would be found full of JO’s walking up the down escalator for a workout. Our RR was on the main deck, and the aft escalator was just out the back door. Dumped you just forward of the LSO platform.
It was always comical when a new guy came aboard and asked for directions. “You go aft about 10 knee knockers, turn outboard and go down the escalator…” To which he would reply “I’m not falling for that escalator BS, I’ll find it myself!”
All the ready rooms were just below the flight deck on Sara in the 1980s. So the function of the escalator had always been somewhat mysterious to us. But if the ready rooms had been moved as a later modification, as Fliterman suggests, that would make some sense. As it was, the escalator provided a direct connect between the officer’s mess and the 02 level, but none of the aviators ate in that mess anyway, since flight suits weren’t allowed there. We rarely ate there, and rarely ever saw the shoes in the ‘dirty shirt’ mess on the O2 level where we ate. Voluntary segregation.
Odd. I’ve watched all the Carrier episodes so far but I missed this one. I must have been in the john when they showed it.
My favorite part? Starting the engine. Outstanding.