British carriers

[R Leonard]

Link does not work, try again

Never mind, I got it to work.

My father had some small naval experience and some of it even on and around carriers. He always scoffed at statements of teak or redwood as descriptions of carrier decks. They were douglas fir. Period.

My father graduated from USNA in 1938, did his two years sea duty and then went to Pensacola and earned his wings in November 1940. Flew off Yorktown at Coral Sea (VF-42) and Midway (VF-3-42), operated out of Guadalcanal in the Solomon's campaign in the spring & summer of 1943 (VF-11). Fighter Training Officer ComFAirWest in 43 and 44. TF-38 staff (operations) in 44 and 45. Credited with six Japanese aircraft, 2 F1M2 on 4 May 42, 1 B5N on 8 May 42, 1 B5N on 4 June 43, and 2 A6M2 on 12 June 43. After the war to TacTest as Assistant Director, then CO of first jet squadron to carrier qualify (VF-171). CAG 17, XO VX-3, CO VX-5, XO USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31), CO USS Salomonie (AO-26), CO USS Caloosahatchee (AO-98), CO USS Ranger (CVA-61), ComCarDiv14 (USS Wasp - CVS18), and CO USNSC. Lots of staff jobs in between. Retired in 1971, Rear Admiral, died 2005.

List of carriers from which he flew:
Year-Carrier-Type(s)-Squadron/Duty
1941 - USS Ranger (CV-4) - SBC-4 (VS-41), F4F-3 (VF-42)
1941 - USS Wasp (CV-7) - F4F-3 (VF-42)
1941/1942 - USS Yorktown (CV-5) - F4F-3 (VF-42), F4F-4 (XO VF-3)
1942 - USS Lexington (CV-2) - F4F-3 (VF-42)
1942 - USS Enterprise (CV-6) - F4F-4 (VF-3)
1942 - USS Hornet (CV-8) - F4F-4 (VF-3)
1943 - USS Long Island (CVE-1) - F4F-4 (VF-11)
1944 - USS Altamaha (CVE-18) - F4U-1D (ComFAirWest RATO tests)
1944 - USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) - F6F-3 (TF-38 Staff - Opns)
1945 - USS Hancock (CV-19) F6F-3, F6F-5 (TF-38 Staff - Opns)
1945 - USS Wasp (CV-18) - F6F-3 (TF-38 Staff - Opns)
1945 - USS Shangri-La (CV-38) - F4U-4 (TF-38 Staff - Opns)
1948 - USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) - FH-1 (CO VF-17A)
1948 - USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) - FH-1 (CO VF-17A)
1949 - USS Midway (CV-41) F2H-2 (CO VF-171)
1949 - USS Tarawa (CV-40) - F3H-2, F2H-3, F2H-4 (CO VF-171)
1950 / 1951 - USS Coral Sea (CV-43) F2H-2 (CO VF-171), F4U-4, F4U-5,
AD-2, AD-4Q (CAG-17)
1955 - USS Bennington (CVA-20) - F9F-7 (CO VX-5)
1956 - USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) - F9F-8 (first to trap and to
launch after SCB-125 conversion, XO, CV-31)

Aircraft operated in order of month/year type first flown:
N3N-1 in Jul 40
O3U-2 in Aug 40
SNJ-2 in Aug 40
SNJ-3 in Aug 40
F4B-4 in Sep 40
SBU-1 in Sep 40
SU-2/3 in Sep 40
F3F-1 in Oct 40
SBC-4 in Jan 41
F4F-3 in Feb 41
F4F-4 in May 41
P-40E in Jan 43
F6F-3 in Jul 43
SBD-3 in Sep 43
SNJ-5 in Sep 43
FM-1 in Oct 43
FM-2 in Oct 43
F4U-1 in Nov 43
F3A-1 in Jan 44
SNJ-4 in Jan 44
TBF-1 in Jan 44
F4U-1A in Feb 44
SBD-5 in Mar 44
F6F-5 in Apr 44
XFR-1 in Aug 44
A6M2 in Sep 44
A6M5 in Feb 45
F4U-1C in Feb 45
F4U-4C in Mar 45
F7F-2N in Mar 45
FR-1 in Mar 45
JRB-4 in Mar 45
SOC-1 in Apr 45
SC-1 in Jun 45
F8F-1 in Dec 45
XF2G-1 in Jan 46
P-59B in Jan 46
F7F-3N in Feb 46
XF7F-2 in Feb 46
P-51C in Mar 46
SB2C-4 in Mar 46
Mosquito (B35) in Apr 46
F2G-1 in Jun 46
P-80 in Jul 46
F2G-2 in Aug 46
SB2C-5 in Sep 46
XF8B-1 in Nov 46
XF15C-1 in Dec 46
XBT2D-1 in Jan 47
FD-1/FH-1 in Apr 47
AM-1 in Sep 47
FJ-1 in Feb 48
AD-2 in Jun 48
F2H-1 in Mar 49
F4U-5N in Sep 49
F9F-2 in Sep 49
AD-3Q in Nov 49
F2H-2 in May 50
AD-4Q in Jul 50
F8F-2 in Aug 50
F4U-5 in Nov 50
F9F-5 in Aug 51
F86-A5 in Sep 51
F2H-3 in Jul 53
F9F-6 in Jul 53
TV-2 in Jul 53
F2H-4 in Aug 53
F3D-2 in Nov 53
F7U-3 in Jan 54
F7U-3 in Jan 54
F9F-7 in Feb 54
CF-86 in May 54
AD-6 in Sep 54
F9F-8 in Sep 54
FJ-3 in Jan 55
AD-5N in Jun 56
F3H-2N in Aug 56
F8U-1 in May 57
T28-B in Feb 58
T2V in Jan 60
F9F-8T in Nov 60
TF-1 in May 61
S-2E in Dec 65
F-4D in Aug 66
T-39 in Aug 66

85 Total types/variants
49 Different types
36 variants of 16 of those types

Carrier Qualified in fifteen (15) types or variants:
F4F-3, F4F-4, F6F-3, F6F-5, F4U-1, F4U-4, F4U-5, FH-1, F2H-1, F2H-2, F2H-3, AD-2, AD-4Q, F9F-7, F9F-8

Night Carrier Qualified in five (5) types or variants:
F4F-3, F2H-1, F2H-2, F2H-3, AD-4Q

Jet Qualified in twenty (20) single seat types or variants:
P-59, P-80, FH-1, F2H-1, F2H-2, F2H-3, F2H-4, FJ-1, FJ-3, F9F-5, F9F-6, F9F-7, F9F-8, F7U-3 (J35), F7U-3 (J46), F3H-2N, F-86 A5 (US), F-86 (CDN), F8U-1

Qualified in twenty (21) two-engine types or variants
F2H-1, F2H-2, F2H-3, F2H-4, F3D-2, F-4D, F7F-2N, F7F-3N, F7U-3 (J35), F7U-3 (J46), FD-1/FH-1, FR-1, JRB-4, Mosquito (B35), P-59B, S-2E, T-39, TF-1, XF15C-1, XF7F-2, XFR-1

Qualified in sixty four (64) single engine types or variants
A6M2, A6M5, AD-2, AD-3Q, AD-4Q, AD-5N, AD-6, AM-1, CF-86, F2G-1, F2G-2, F3A-1, F3F-1, F3H-2N, F4B-4, F4F-3, F4F-4, F4U-1, F4U-1A, F4U-1C, F4U-4C, F4U-5, F4U-5N, F6F-3, F6F-5, F-86-A5, F8F-1, F8F-2, F8U-1, F9F-2, F9F-5, F9F-6, F9F-7, F9F-8, F9F-8T, FJ-1, FJ-3, FM-1, FM-2, N3N-1, O3U-2, P-40E, P-51C, P-80A, SB2C-4, SB2C-5, SBC-4, SBD-3, SBD-5, SBU-1, SC-1, SNJ-2, SNJ-3, SNJ-4, SNJ-5, SOC-1, SU-2/3, T28-B, T2V, TBF-1, TV-2, XBT2D-1, XF2G-1, XF8B-1

4087 Total Hours
2761 - Propeller types
1325 - Jet types
2600 - VA/VF types

329 Carrier Landings
170 Combat missions

2 Navy Cross
1 Legion of Merit w/combat V (plus 4 non-combat additional awards)
1 Distinguished Flying Cross
1 Bronze Star w/combat V
6 Air Medals

I think he had enough experience to know what he was talking about. Also, I’d suggest you look up some builder’s specs. In fairness, douglas fir has a slightly reddish cast to it when unpainted, but, no it is not redwood.

Regards

[spidge]

Try this one Rich!

Hand Guns

[T. A. Gardner]

I would have thought if pine / fir were to be used Southern Pine would have been prefered to Doug fir. The reason I would think this would be the case is that Southern Pine is more directionally stable; that is it warps less. I would think that would be a consideration here.

[Gibbo]

Originally Posted by Slipdigit

Lee,

She was an Illustrious Class: Illustrious, Indomitable, Formidable and Victorious, but did have design changes to up her aircraft capacity early on. Early in the war, she carried 55 aircraft (Seafire and Albacores) compared to her sisters who carried 36.

By later in the war (1945), she was operating Corsairs and Avengers, but carried less of these than she did of the British-designed aircraft. Maybe some of the Royal Navy brains here knows why. I wondering if it had anything to with hangar overhead and height of the folded wings of the American-designed aircraft. Just a guess.

Your guess is correct. Illustrious, Formidable & Victorious each had a hangar 458 x 62 x 16 feet. Indomitable's flight deck was raised 14 feet & she had 2 hangars, the upper 458 x 62 x 14 feet & the lower 168 x 62 x 16 feet. The 2 later carriers, Implacable & Indefatigable, had 2 hangars, the upper 458 x 62 x 14 feet & the lower 208 x 62 x 14 feet. The 14 feet high hangars, i.e. both on the Implacable class & Indomitable's larger one couldn't take Corsairs.

[R Leonard]

As I understand it, southern pine splits too easy. D Fir was more resilient . . . that is, it has the "right" amount of "give."

[Slipdigit]

Originally Posted by Gibbo

Your guess is correct.

Think "blind hog and acorn"

When you say upper and lower, was it upper and lower as one a deck above the other or one stepped up from the other, but not directly above the other?

[Gibbo]

I think that one was above the other but I'm not certain as I just paraphrased the answer from Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946, which doesn't give further details. I think that the combined length is too great for it to be one stepped up from the other, so one above the other would be logical.

[4th wilts]

thankyou gibbo and jeff.but i understand some carriers did fly corsairs,if so which ones,and what aircraft did the others fly,was it just seafires.yours very sincerely,lee.

[Slipdigit]

Lee,

I could only find info on the Illustrious, Formidible, Victorious and Indomitable. All shipped Corsairs, except for the Idomitable, which operated Hellcats.

I didn't look at the escort carriers individually, but I did notice that one or two were flying Seafires or the naval Spitfires

[Gibbo]

As well as those listed by Jeff, Indefatigable & Implacable had Seafires whilst serving with the British Pacific Fleet in 1945, with the latter also having Fireflies. All had Avengers as well as their fighters. All the carriers in the British East Indies Fleet at the same time were CVEs. Of the Attacker class, Attacker, Hunter & Stalker had Seafires, Pursuer Hellcats & Searcher Wildcats. The Ameer class ships, Ameer, Emperor, Empress, Khedive & Shah all had Hellcats, with Shah also carrying Avengers. The Attackers had hangars 18 ft. high so the RN presumably gave some of these ships Seafires because of choice or aircraft availability rather than hangar capacity. Conway's doesn't give the size of the hangars on the Ameers but they were larger ships than the Attackers (11,400 v. 10,200 tons standard displacement).

Aircraft complements are from Combat Aircraft of World War II, by Elke C. Weal. John A. Weal and Richard F. Barker. It gives these only for 1945 & then only for ships in the Far East.