Aircraft Carrier identity?

[teufelhunde.ret]

Great detective work!

[Jack's Son]

Congratulations gentlemen, one and all. :thumbsup:

It was great detective work!

[Brian Dentino]

A super research conclusion.....excellent job everyone.

JS........I.......well......just........ :crying:

sorry........REALLY!! :whistling:

[keithhufnagel]

As a further note I forgot to give you a location. Several of Yorktown's shakedown cruise photos list Trinidad as her operating area. Newport News was where she was built (launched Jan. 21), commissioned(April 15), and the location of shakedown overhaul(May through June). She sailed for the Pacific on July 1 1943. Her first cruise(action) started August 22, 1943(Marcus Island Raid). Her August through October 1944 refit was at Bremerton Wash. Hope this helps!

[Bluehawk]

Thank you again, one and all.

[pararaftanr2]

Hi all,

If you've ever seen, or get a chance to see, the movie "Wing and a Prayer", it was filmed aboard the Yorktown on her shakedown cruise. There is great flight deck and aerial footage of both TBFs and SB2Cs, not to mention all original Navy flight gear of the period.

Best regards, Paul

[hink441]

I served on carrier flight-decks for 20 years (1981-2001) and I had no idea that there was a WW2 requirement for reverse recovery of aircraft onboard Essex class. Thanks for the education.

[sierra hotel]

I served on carrier flight-decks for 20 years (1981-2001) and I had no idea that there was a WW2 requirement for reverse recovery of aircraft onboard Essex class. Thanks for the education.

Conceptual design for all the early carriers called for the ability to STEAM IN REVERSE and still conduct flight operations. Reason being if the forward part of the deck was damaged too severely, flight ops could still be accomplished without much reduction in tempo. Thats why you see the old SARATOGA and LEXINGTON with narrow almost pointed sterns to effect a good bow wave steaming in reverse. Same for WASP, ENTERPRISE, HORNET AND YORKTOWN. Not known if this was ever done in wartime as part of a real emergency, but the evolution was always do able. The requirement in design for such was abandoned with the MIDWAY class.