Many shots in the video of plane guarding destroyers 1,000 to 2,000 yards astern. Spent many bridge hours back there for other carriers, waiting for the splash that thankfully never came, at least for us.
The USMC Pilot “Diggem” flew an A-4 first then an F-4 which malfunctioned. He bailed out and down into the Fire-Ball his chute was dropping! The Yuma, AZ winds kicked up! His boots hit desert dirt! He flew back to Beaufort S.C. and I met him 1978 Ramada Inn!
We NAVY folks picked Ships, Boats, Planes. The operative word was and remains “Water”! Don’t you agree?
The Ship “Shangra-La” (sp) reminds me of the movie “South Pacific!“!
The MSC Officer set up that film in the Officers Club at Lambert Field, USMC Beaufort S.C., 1979… and I was on my way into the back seat of an F-4!
Back to the USN Air Craft Carrier operating off the coast of Japan, 1982.
The Pilot, miss his “Tail Hook “ correct landing and into the waters he and his plane went!
The Pilot…or another Naval Pilot who liked Railroad Trains, wrote me the details of what he witnessed on that USN Air Craft Carrier. I met that pilot in Beaufort S.C. during my tour 1978-1981.
That written letter, I hand carried into our Naval Operations Area at McDonnell Douglas Aerospace. My life in Naval Intelligence was “Launched”!
CDR Salamander, skip forward “Fullbore Style” and gaze at me… Naval Officer, “Retired” … still “Serving” with my head in a deep dive AACC - LGS 215 Criminal Law (3 credits)!
Ship Overhead announced: All Hands proceed to the Canteen … Video in Progress! It’s Friday … Morale Uplift Day!
Thank you CDR Salamander! Nurse Jane lights the way forward with Popcorn to share!
This is a great video. I had a dear friend, Jerry Harleman, whom I met in 1991. He served aboard the USS Shangri-La. Jerry’s passions were collecting Navy memorabilia and building models. As a member of Task Force 5 in York, Pennsylvania, he built a scale model of the Shangri-La, which—if my memory serves me right—is now on display at the National Navy Museum in Washington, D.C. Thank you!
Neat video. Narrator sounded like Burl Ives? My very first Middie cruise was in USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) out of Quonset Point. Still had hydraulic cats and a wooden deck.
(Keeping this in line -somewhat- with the Shang and FbF....)
Her skipper through part of that cruise was Herb Houck...
He was not only an Ace, but also a no joke, legit, war hero.
And...believe it or not...he was a neighbor a few years after this tour. Lived across the street. Dad kinda chided him one day about being a war hero, which led to a little bit of banter between them.
Don't remember very much of that conversation, but I do remember dad saying he sank the Yamato, which Captain Houck kinda waved off.
I remember he was nearly deaf. All those years around those radials I suppose....
Three Navy Crosses. Silver Star. Bronze Star (not like today's participation medal). Four DFC's. Nine Air Medals. Three Presidential Unit Citations.
Browse the cruise book and see the number of rows of ribbons he wore. That was "Highly Decorated". Safe to say, every one of those top rows were solid awards.
He really did deliver the coup de grace to the Yamato btw...
In April 1945, the Yamato, a 72,000 ton battleship, fitted with 410 mm side armor deemed impenetrable, with nine 18 inch (46 cm) guns that could send a 3,200 lb shell over 20 miles, was given just enough fuel for a one-way trip. On 6 April 1945, Yamato, the light cruiser Yahagi and 8 escorting destroyers, were sent on a suicide mission to destroy the American invasion fleet at Okinawa. The Yamato was discovered the next day, as soon as it left the Inland Sea, and was very quickly engaged by American forces; 386 aircraft from four US aircraft carriers were launched against her. When Houck led his 43 planes from the carrier USS Yorktown to the reported site of the Yamato, he found the ship listing about 20 degrees after an American submarine had pumped five torpedoes into her and other American aircraft had bombed the ship. Houck ordered his planes to attack, putting another five torpedoes into the ship and a minute later the ship's aft magazines blew up and the ship rolled over and sank, killing 2,475 of its crew. Only 269 Japanese sailors survived the sinking, to be picked up by their escorting destroyers. The cruiser was also sunk.
What a cool video, thanks for sharing!
That was at least one of the last...if not the very last...deployment of the "Fords" or F4D's.
(Thanks Cdr, you've provided my rabbit hole of the day!)
Semper Fortis Amigo
Excellent Vid!
Skyrays, hmmmm. 'salright!
Modern hydraulics and F414 engine would make for an interesting reprise of that airplane along with the F7U.
BuAer really didn't hit it's stride until the triumvirate of the J57/65/79 engines appeared on the scene. (Notice all USAF developed engines....)
A Ford below deck level and smoking badly...
https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv38-62/248.htm
As the 27 Charlies didn't have waist cats, sure looks like this is a right sporty bolter!!!!
No zero/zero ejection seats in those days...
Many shots in the video of plane guarding destroyers 1,000 to 2,000 yards astern. Spent many bridge hours back there for other carriers, waiting for the splash that thankfully never came, at least for us.
Good Morning CDR Salamander!
The USMC Pilot “Diggem” flew an A-4 first then an F-4 which malfunctioned. He bailed out and down into the Fire-Ball his chute was dropping! The Yuma, AZ winds kicked up! His boots hit desert dirt! He flew back to Beaufort S.C. and I met him 1978 Ramada Inn!
We NAVY folks picked Ships, Boats, Planes. The operative word was and remains “Water”! Don’t you agree?
The Ship “Shangra-La” (sp) reminds me of the movie “South Pacific!“!
The MSC Officer set up that film in the Officers Club at Lambert Field, USMC Beaufort S.C., 1979… and I was on my way into the back seat of an F-4!
Back to the USN Air Craft Carrier operating off the coast of Japan, 1982.
The Pilot, miss his “Tail Hook “ correct landing and into the waters he and his plane went!
The Pilot…or another Naval Pilot who liked Railroad Trains, wrote me the details of what he witnessed on that USN Air Craft Carrier. I met that pilot in Beaufort S.C. during my tour 1978-1981.
That written letter, I hand carried into our Naval Operations Area at McDonnell Douglas Aerospace. My life in Naval Intelligence was “Launched”!
CDR Salamander, skip forward “Fullbore Style” and gaze at me… Naval Officer, “Retired” … still “Serving” with my head in a deep dive AACC - LGS 215 Criminal Law (3 credits)!
Ship Overhead announced: All Hands proceed to the Canteen … Video in Progress! It’s Friday … Morale Uplift Day!
Thank you CDR Salamander! Nurse Jane lights the way forward with Popcorn to share!
Safe travels - God Bless You!
Thank you for some Friday morning nostalgia.
An era we will not see again. This is what we signed up to do
Great FbF post. Passing the video along to my son who’s currently working his way through nuke school, so he can see how it used to be.
This is a great video. I had a dear friend, Jerry Harleman, whom I met in 1991. He served aboard the USS Shangri-La. Jerry’s passions were collecting Navy memorabilia and building models. As a member of Task Force 5 in York, Pennsylvania, he built a scale model of the Shangri-La, which—if my memory serves me right—is now on display at the National Navy Museum in Washington, D.C. Thank you!
If we had 600 ships we could make sure that everything and everyone that deserves to be remembered would be remembered.
Personally, I would like to see a frigate or destroyer named after Herman Wouk. I would also like to know if Willie and May did reconcile.
It would appear not. As Maudlin intended, they were an accurate microcosm of the returning GI.
So sad.
Very nice video. No rust on the auxiliary ship, my Dad would approve.
They were full on USN ships in those days...
Neat video. Narrator sounded like Burl Ives? My very first Middie cruise was in USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) out of Quonset Point. Still had hydraulic cats and a wooden deck.
The Shang's 1962 cruise book:
https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv38-62/index.html
(Keeping this in line -somewhat- with the Shang and FbF....)
Her skipper through part of that cruise was Herb Houck...
He was not only an Ace, but also a no joke, legit, war hero.
And...believe it or not...he was a neighbor a few years after this tour. Lived across the street. Dad kinda chided him one day about being a war hero, which led to a little bit of banter between them.
Don't remember very much of that conversation, but I do remember dad saying he sank the Yamato, which Captain Houck kinda waved off.
I remember he was nearly deaf. All those years around those radials I suppose....
Check out his bio:
https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv38-62/014.htm
Three Navy Crosses. Silver Star. Bronze Star (not like today's participation medal). Four DFC's. Nine Air Medals. Three Presidential Unit Citations.
Browse the cruise book and see the number of rows of ribbons he wore. That was "Highly Decorated". Safe to say, every one of those top rows were solid awards.
He really did deliver the coup de grace to the Yamato btw...
https://militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=2651
In April 1945, the Yamato, a 72,000 ton battleship, fitted with 410 mm side armor deemed impenetrable, with nine 18 inch (46 cm) guns that could send a 3,200 lb shell over 20 miles, was given just enough fuel for a one-way trip. On 6 April 1945, Yamato, the light cruiser Yahagi and 8 escorting destroyers, were sent on a suicide mission to destroy the American invasion fleet at Okinawa. The Yamato was discovered the next day, as soon as it left the Inland Sea, and was very quickly engaged by American forces; 386 aircraft from four US aircraft carriers were launched against her. When Houck led his 43 planes from the carrier USS Yorktown to the reported site of the Yamato, he found the ship listing about 20 degrees after an American submarine had pumped five torpedoes into her and other American aircraft had bombed the ship. Houck ordered his planes to attack, putting another five torpedoes into the ship and a minute later the ship's aft magazines blew up and the ship rolled over and sank, killing 2,475 of its crew. Only 269 Japanese sailors survived the sinking, to be picked up by their escorting destroyers. The cruiser was also sunk.
And, more here:
https://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?cmd=ShadowBoxProfile&type=BattleMemoryExt&ID=155290
Awesome! Planes my age! Seeing flight ops without JBDs is scary and cool at the same time!
for me, the video has a Top Gun vibe.
I wish you would do a FBF on the Forrestal Fire, and the "Chief with the Purple K".
Chief Gerald W. Farrier, may he long be remembered...
Absent Friends