Flat Top

Discussion in 'Books, Films, TV, Radio' started by Dave55, Aug 10, 2017.

  1. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Routine plot about a carrier air group but loads of really good color footage of carrier deck operations, Essex class interior shots including the mechanical gunnery computer room and scenes of the 5" battery blasting away in rapid fire. Mostly Corsairs but all of the American carrier planes make appearances except for the Wildcat. Very sloppy editing but the footage is still great.

    You can see the whole movie on Youtube

     
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  2. canuck

    canuck Closed Account

    I spent a delightful few hours aboard the Yorktown, the Essex class carrier docked in Charleston.

    It was huge and highly lethal to people over 6' tall.
     
  3. Tullybrone

    Tullybrone Senior Member

    Off topic - but I remember when the USS Iwo Jima paid a courtesy visit to Liverpool, England in 1980. Driving past it in dock it looked as tall as a block of flats. Shore Patrol off loaded their own vehicles and patrolled the city centre (unarmed) with local Police Officers on board.

    Steve Y
     
  4. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    Here is another UK tie in with the Iwo Jima

    Potential role in the Falklands War
    The July 2012 newsletter of the United States Naval Institute, revealed that the Reagan Administration offered the use of the Iwo Jima as a replacement in case either of the two British carriers, the Hermes and Invincible, had been damaged or destroyed during the 1982 Falklands War. This top-secret contingency plan was revealed to the staff of the Naval Institute by John Lehman, the U.S. Secretary of the Navy at the time of the Falklands War, from a speech provided to the Naval Institute that Lehman made in Portsmouth, UK on 26 June 2012. Lehman stated that the loan of the Iwo Jima was made in response to a request from the Royal Navy, and it had the endorsement of U.S. President Ronald Reagan and U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. The actual planning for the Iwo Jima loan-out was done by the staff of the U.S. Second Fleet under the direction of Vice Admiral James Lyons, who confirmed Lehman's revelations with the Naval Institute staff. Contingency planning envisioned American military contractors, likely retired sailors with knowledge of the Iwo Jima's systems, assisting the British in manning the U.S. helicopter carrier during the loan-out. Naval analyst Eric Wertheim compared this arrangement to the Flying Tigers. Significantly, except for U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, the U.S. Department of State was not included in the loan-out negotiations.[7][8][9]

    USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) - Wikipedia
     
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  5. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Member

    I also toured the Yorktown in Charleston. I remember remarking to my wife how large it seemed. An impressive ship, even today.
     
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  6. Dave55

    Dave55 Atlanta, USA

    I've been on the Intrepid many times on the Hudson in NYC. During one visit on December 7th a single F6F Hellcat appeared unexpectedly and made a low pass down the river. He revved the engine a couple of times as he passed the stern of the ship. It was a very cold day and my dad and I were the only ones on deck. Very neat.

    The hanger deck was used for many months as a secure space for hundreds of workers to coordinate emergency response to the Sept 11 attack.

    I just realized that the Intrepid is berthed just one pier south of were the Normandie capsized at pier 88 in 1942

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
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