Aircraft Carriers III

Obi Wan Russell

Jedi Master
VIP Professional
In case any of you missed this, WW2 carrier USS Hornet CV-8 has been found off the Solomon Islands:
92bea02d344e5fc9e6777dcfd17cb6b0.jpg USS Hornet CV8 01.jpg 40449248_2701823129843527_2584452005787336704_n.jpg dolittle-raid-15a.jpg dolittle-raid-16.jpg
Completed just in time for the Pacific War, and built as a belated third unit of the Yorktown class in order to speed production, she quickly became famous for launching 16 Army B-25 Mitchell Bombers on the famous Doolittle Raid on Japan. She was lost in the fierce fighting off the Solomons later in 1942, after the order to abandon ship although burned out and beyond repair she refused to sink despite absorbing several torpedoes and hundreds of 5 inch shells from her own escorts, and the wreck was abandoned afloat as the Japanese fleet was advancing on the position. She thus gained the dubious distinction of being the only aircraft carrier ever to fall into enemy hands during wartime. The Japanese recognising there was nothing to be gained by salvage, dispatched their prize with yet more torpedoes and sent her to the bottom.

It is worth remembering that this ship, around 20,000tons displacement absorbed a mind boggling amount of damage and stayed afloat. Modern day CVNs are about FIVE Times the displacement and were designed incorporating hard won wartime lessons, including this one. Next time someone sneeringly suggests a CVN could be sunk with a single torpedo... please feel free to laugh at them. A single hit in wartime and a CVN is unlikely to even slow down...
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Ahhh Laem Chabang, Thailand! a place where many green and old shipmates have sold their souls to the devil during liberty and returned with tiny microbial consolation prizes.

Yep...and John C Stennis tied up in Thailand..I've never seen a carrier tie up in Thailand!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!


US service members aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) disembark for liberty at Laem Chabang Port, Thailand, Feb. 10. The John C. Stennis is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (US Army photo by Staff Sgt. Ron Keenan)
 
Yesterday at 9:01 AM
Sunday at 8:29 PM related is the tweet
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!





Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
CHARLES DE
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
R91 completed "Fanal 19" exercises in the Med on 11 Feb. ...
now
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!





In the context of the FANAL pre-deployment exercise involving the entire carrier strike group,
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
Charles de Gaulle set a new record: No less than 35 aircraft, including 30 Rafale Marine, were aboard
1f1eb-1f1f7.png
via
Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!
 

derf1600

New Member
Registered Member
Love these photos, but they are a painful reminder to me of the loss over the past 2 decades of the loss of the multi-mission aspect of the US carrier fleet. While our Nimitzes and Fords have a 60% larger fighter package than CDG or 20% more than the QE's will have, a big advantage I think they have lost over past generations is the loss of the heavy strike and long-range ASW aircraft. The wings of modern US carriers seem not to justify the super carriers, which are so necessary, but under-utilized in potential. At times I just think the US might as well just buy Midway sized ships, if we are going to neglect the aforementioned capabilities.
 
Top