Monday, May 23, 2011

Aircraft Carrier



Today's picture is from World War II, and it shows a fighter about to take off from the flight deck. Notice that the flag in the foreground has 48 stars, as Alaska and Hawaii were not yet states.
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4 comments:

  1. Interesting, The ship seems to have the wind off the starboard (right) side rather than heading right into the wind.
    Nice photo.

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  2. Destroyer escort trailing off to the stern.
    I'm guessing that plane is a dive bomber or maybe and early torpedo bomber. It's got a rather large canopy for a pursuit plane.

    John

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  3. RTD:
    The wake of the carrier is curving, maybe they are turning into the wind? It would make the flag move in the direction of the turn too.

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  4. The trailing ship is a US Navy destroyer (DD), there to pick up the pilot if his plane crashes (or flight deck crew if they fall over the side). The plane may be an single-seat F4F Wildcat fighter.

    The flight deck crew seems to be relaxed. There are a lot of guys in the galleries alongside the flight deck on both sides.

    The carrier is probably turning into the wind. The flag's position, of course, is a function of true wind speed and direction and the carrier's speed and direction.

    Just a guess, but this might be a engine maintenance test, or a plane that got left behind on previously-launched strike.

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