Ship Photo of the Day

[Max the Mad Russian]

Is this Corsair of -4 or -7 version? Or this is AU-1, the ultimate Corsair?

 

[Griz882]

Is this Corsair of -4 or -7 version? Or this is AU-1, the ultimate Corsair?

That is a -4B. It is from the USS Philippine Sea (CV-47).

 

[Renegade One]

Is this Corsair of -4 or -7 version? Or this is AU-1, the ultimate Corsair?

What do you mean by "ultimate"?

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Thanks Gents. In Soviet reports about La-7s and Yak-9s employed in Korea the AU-1 have been mentioned as something different from F4U-7 let alone Dash Four Bravo and introdused as "the final and ultimate model of Corsair". I.e. AU-1 as it seemed to our instructors was pure tactical attack airplane and had little to say in a dogfight against mentioned Soviet pistons. Though this Corsair was evaluated higher than our Il-10 in the payload and range. It is unclear whether any AU-1 have been captured in a flyable condition, but given that 555 Corsairs of all versions lost in combat over there, it seems that they could find the difference.

 

[Renegade One]

Well, the AU-1 was "optimized" for the ground attack role; only had a single-stage blower, and therefore suffered in high altitude performance (speed, rate of climb, etc.) from the earlier variants. The F4U-7, built for the French Navy, completed the venerable Corsair line. Essentially the same as an F4U-4 in an F4U-6 (AU-1) airframe, it was equipped with a Pratt and Whitney two-speed, two-stage engine (R-2800-18W), making it a high-altitude fighter.

 

[Renegade One]

Thanks Gents. In Soviet reports about La-7s and Yak-9s employed in Korea the AU-1 have been mentioned as something different from F4U-7 let alone Dash Four Bravo and introdused as "the final and ultimate model of Corsair". I.e. AU-1 as it seemed to our instructors was pure tactical attack airplane and had little to say in a dogfight against mentioned Soviet pistons. Though this Corsair was evaluated higher than our Il-10 in the payload and range. It is unclear whether any AU-1 have been captured in a flyable condition, but given that 555 Corsairs of all versions lost in combat over there, it seems that they could find the difference.

Do you commie bastards "beacon of hope socialists" have anything like our Commemorative Air Force? You know...old dudes maintaining and flying old airplanes...either domestic or former enemy. Need pictures. Asking for a friend.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Renegade, unfortunately they are almost as far from me as from you. It's in Siberia, City of Novosibirsk, where two private owned companies, Aviarestorer LTD and WingsOfVictory (English version of website available) located, but actually it all is the same bunch of entusiasts. The sole MiG-3 and sole Il-2 restored recently engined with Allison V-1710s of 1947-48 (lend-lease spare motors). Several I-16s and I-153s equipped with Ash-82, a derivative from Soviet replica of Wright R-1820.
Those I-fighters were initially ordered by some private person from New Zealand, then by chance were restored several more. From time to time, those airplanes take part in airshows, but quite seldom. AFAIK, there's no flyable German airplanes in Russia.

 

[Griz882]

Do you commie bastards "beacon of hope socialists" have anything like our Commemorative Air Force? You know...old dudes maintaining and flying old airplanes...either domestic or former enemy. Need pictures. Asking for a friend.

For the price of a piddling, used, GA aircraft you could own your very own “Commisar Crusier...”

N30425 POLIKARPOV I-16-24 – Courtesy Aircraft

courtesyaircraft.com

 

[Renegade One]

From time to time, those airplanes take part in airshows, but quite seldom. AFAIK, there's no flyable German airplanes in Russia.

Sweet pics...thanks.

 

[Max the Mad Russian]

Grandpa of my wife being section OIC, according to his record, in the first day of GPW 22nd Jun 1941 made seven sorties and got four kills on I-153 Seagull. As it turns out, actually just one, but that was Bf-110 ditched in Poland on its way back due to the leaks of fuel from holed tanks. All in all, I'm proud. Not for kill as such but for his courage to engage that Zerstőrer sitting in underpowered outdated bird.

 

[Notanaviator]

CVE-99 - USS ADMIRALTY ISLANDS
My grandfather, who passed away last summer, graduated an accelerated NROTC course and met the ship in Astoria OR for commissioning as a gunnery officer. The ship was part of the logistics task force supporting TF 58, ferrying fresh aircraft and crews, and after the surrender, participated in Magic Carpet bringing folks home.

An aspect that was somewhat troubling to me was in the last few years of his life, after years of reading about the war in the Pacific, he became convinced of stories he'd tell of kamikaze attacks on his ship, and of surviving Halsey's Typhoon. Main problem being that the ADMIRALTY ISLANDS never experienced a kamikaze attack and wasn't part of TF 38 that endured that storm. I never got the sense that this was a stolen valor situation, it was more just confusion it seemed like. Didn't prevent the cringeworthy moment at his memorial service when the officiant, a friend of his, began his sermon with a reading from the book about the Typhoon detailing the hellish conditions, choked back tears and all.

A very odd denouement to his life, when his actual role in the war was in itself a great contribution to his country.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Received the Time Life 1978 black and white TV series World War 2: GI Diary for Christmas. One of the 25 episodes was dedicated to Big Ben, the USS Franklin. An Essex class carrier, it was hit on 2 separate occasions: by a kamikaze in 1944 and a dive bomber with two 550 lb bombs while 30+ aircraft were armed and fueled on the deck (the 2nd coming in March 1945 only 50 miles from the Japanese mainland.) Big Ben had the greatest loss of life of any US ship that did not sink in WW2, over 800 killed in action.

(Historical Note: one of the squadrons aboard the Franklin was VMF-214, the famed Black Sheep once led by Pappy Boyington)


Belleau Wood (left) and Franklin hit by kamikazes, 30 October 1944


The burning Franklin with USS Santa Fe (CL-60) alongside.


Franklin listing, with crew on deck, 19 March 1945.


Aft 5-inch gun turret on fire, 19 March 1945.



There is a video on Amazon Prime which I hope to get to this weekend.
https://www.amazon.com/USS-Franklin...K554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323620986&sr=8-1

https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.13189

 

[nittany03]

Received the Time Life 1978 black and white TV series World War 2: GI Diary for Christmas. One of the 25 episodes was dedicated to Big Ben, the USS Franklin. An Essex class carrier, it was hit on 2 separate occasions: by a kamikaze in 1944 and a dive bomber with two 550 lb bombs while 30+ aircraft were armed and fueled on the deck (the 2nd coming in March 1945 only 50 miles from the Japanese mainland.) Big Ben had the greatest loss of life of any US ship that did not sink in WW2, over 800 killed in action.

(Historical Note: one of the squadrons aboard the Franklin was VMF-214, the famed Black Sheep once led by Pappy Boyington)

There is a video on Amazon Prime which I hope to get to this weekend.
https://www.amazon.com/USS-Franklin...K554/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323620986&sr=8-1

https://archive.org/details/gov.archives.arc.13189

Skimming the Wikipedia article, the Skipper seems like he was a real piece of work. Accusing men of desertion because they either thought an abandon ship was called or got forced overboard by fire? And then sponsoring a "golden children's" club for the 704 who allegedly stayed, only to find out about 400 of them were actually onboard for the duration?

 

[Randy Daytona]

Today is March 9th, the anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads so it seemed appropriate to have the Monitor and the Merrimack (CSS Virginia)





View on deck looking forward on the starboard side, while the ship was in the James River, Virginia, 9 July 1862. The turret, with the muzzle of one of Monitor'stwo XI-inch Dahlgren smoothbore guns showing, is at left. Note dents in turret armor from hits by Confederate heavy guns and crewmembers atop the turret.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Some nice photos of the USS Saratoga (CV-3)

USS Los Angeles (ZR-3) flies over ships of the U.S. Fleet, circa 1930. Photographed from on board the airship, with two of her engine cars in the foreground. Ships below are USS Patoka (AO-9), closest to the camera, and the aircraft carriers USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3) Aircraft on the flight deck, preparing for launching, circa 1929-30. Planes in the foreground are Boeing F3B-1 fighters [of VB-2B squadron]. In the background are fifteen Martin T4M-1 torpedo planes, of Torpedo Squadron Two (VT-2B). A flight of 17 U.S. Marine Corps Boeing F4B-4 fighters of Marine Fighter Squadron VF-9M assigned to USS Saratoga (CV-3) in the early 1930s. The squadron was later redesignated VMF-111. USS Saratoga (CV-3) passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco. Date may be January 1939.