Photos Aircraft Carriers

[F.L.]

America's answer to the Soviet Kiev class VTOL carrier: Strike Cruiser Mark II. Ballooning costs put paid to the idea under the Ford Administration in the 1970s.

Photo: CGTrader.com

It's astonishing, there's an F-4 Phantom on deck !!! Otherwise, it's a nice design. Although I don't really see the advantage of it.

 

[F.L.]

Glad you had a nice time - brings back horrific memories for me. Hating every second i spent on those two boats. F*cking fishheads!

But why ?

 

[downsizer]

But why ?

Well I did really well in school so I joined the Air Force. But they posted me to Harriers which they then deployed to those tubs. None of us really wanted to be there at all. The fishheads did really weird things.

 

[F.L.]

Well I did really well in school so I joined the Air Force. But they posted me to Harriers which they then deployed to those tubs. None of us really wanted to be there at all. The fishheads did really weird things.

Why were these ships so unpleasant ?

 

[downsizer]

Why were these ships so unpleasant ?

Perhaps my humour is lost on you mate.....

They probably weren't, if it's what you signed up for, I didn't sign up for that.

We had to sleep under the ramp, so never got any sleep. We had to hotbunk, 8 on 8 off for months is no way live, 1 minute showers, 2 can rule, the Navy didn't want us there so treated us like sh1t, the food was awful, etc, etc....

 

[F.L.]

Perhaps my humour is lost on you mate.....

They probably weren't, if it's what you signed up for, I didn't sign up for that.

We had to sleep under the ramp, so never got any sleep. We had to hotbunk, 1 minute showers, 2 can rule, the Navy didn't want us there so treated us like sh1t, the food was awful, etc, etc....

I understand, it was more a question of living conditions. The flights were interesting ? I always thought that flying the Harrier from an aircraft carrier would be great.

 

[downsizer]

I understand, it was more a question of living conditions. The flights were interesting ? I always thought that flying the Harrier from an aircraft carrier would be great.

Very cramped, noisy, poor facilities mate.

I wasn't a pilot I was a maintainer.

 

[F.L.]

Ok, I understand now !!!
I remember hearing former maintainers on the Arromanches, a French aircraft carrier, talk about the inconvenience of sleeping just below deck during night training operations with the CM-175 Zéphir, who was a light aircraft. I can just imagine with Harriers !

 

[F.L.]

It's astonishing, there's an F-4 Phantom on deck !!! Otherwise, it's a nice design. Although I don't really see the advantage of it.

I really think this design is ingenious, especially the hangars.
Would this have been a lighter, faster complement to the big Tarawa-type LHD ? What role would they have been dedicated to ?

 

[F.L.]

A fictional type : the USS Flagg (CV-99) :

 

[Euroamerican]

Perhaps my humour is lost on you mate.....

They probably weren't, if it's what you signed up for, I didn't sign up for that.

We had to sleep under the ramp, so never got any sleep. We had to hotbunk, 8 on 8 off for months is no way live, 1 minute showers, 2 can rule, the Navy didn't want us there so treated us like sh1t, the food was awful, etc, etc....

Just to clarify: You were in the RAF but they got funny with their Harriers and sent you and those birds over to the RN and embarked on an Invincible class ship?

 

[BravoZulu]

Just to clarify: You were in the RAF but they got funny with their Harriers and sent you and those birds over to the RN and embarked on an Invincible class ship?

I get where @downsizer is coming from, I would have felt the same way if I was posted to a land based RAAF unit when I wanted to go to sea

 

[downsizer]

Just to clarify: You were in the RAF but they got funny with their Harriers and sent you and those birds over to the RN and embarked on an Invincible class ship?

That's correct. At this time (late90s) we (RAF) were using GR5/7/9s in a purely ground attack role and the navy were operating Sea Harriers primarily in Air Defence. Someone decided the Navy and Air Force should be more "joint" and we should be put on Navy carriers (as 1F Sqn did in the Falklands).

Me and many others on both sides were not fans. I got a posting as soon as I could.

 

[F.L.]

INS Vikramaditya with MiG-29K :

 

[Redav]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[F.L.]

Harrier T.52 "G-VTOL" during trials on the Australian Navy carrier HMAS Melbourne, probably circa 1978.
Note the A-4G Skyhawks.

 

[F.L.]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Redav]

In 1985, the USS America (CV-66), USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), USS Nimitz (CVN-68), and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) were docked at piers 11 and 12 at Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia, USA.

 

[F.L.]

Harrier T.52 landing on NAeL Minas Gerais (A11) :

 

[F.L.]

Other pics of the Minas Gerais :