Bougainville/Solomons close to Australia

[mjarrels]

My wifes sister lives in Batan... was there a few weeks ago. FIL can still remember watching WWII dogfights even thou he was only about 6 years old at the time.

mark

 

[dmccarty]

Until I started playing this game I never knew where Batan was located. I have read of it but I at first I thought it was a misselling of Battan but that made no sense because the Japanese took Batan before Battan.

Later,
Dan

 

[RobertN]

Did the old WWII fighters use the Cats to launch or was there enough deck space?

Later,
Dan

I got a response from my docent contact on the USS Hornet:
to answer your questions. The Hornet started out with one cross deck (hangar) cat. It was a farce in that pilots were to be launched into the wind and here they were getting a 25 mph cross wind. That catapult was shortly removed and there was one port side (flight deck) cat in its place. Later on the second catapult, starboard side, was added. I am not sure if the original Lex had cats. The second Lex certainly had catapults. The Midway, I believe, has 4 catapults.

The catapults on the Hornet remained driven by hydraulic power. Several of the other Essex class carriers were converted to steam, same as the Midway. Therefore, they could handle heavier aircraft.

So, originally, at least in the USS Hornet's case, not on the flight deck. I have seen pictures of plane launches from the hangar cat. It was inside the forward hangar(inside the ship, below flight deck). It literally launched the plane from inside the ship. The hangar is obviously lower than the flight deck; coming out of that cat put the plane very low over the water.

 

[MossRoad]

Correct me if I am wrong but I swear I rememer him saying there were canibels there, and he was serious.

My dad told me the same thing. He said you never went into the jungle alone. If the Japanese didn't get you and the native people didn't get you, the jungle would get you. He donated all of his old pictures and war stuff to some museums when I was young. I wish he had kept copies. But I remember seeing lots of pictures of him and his friends standing around taking photos with the locals. Lots of naked folks, bones through the nose, lips, etc...

He also told of finding lots of caves along the beaches packed with Japanese ordinace... bulletts, grenades, bombs and these small boats with torpedos built into them. They would roll them out of the cave into the water at night if there were U.S. ships around. They put branches and weeds all over them so they'd look like a floating mess of debris. If they came close to a ship, they'd fire up the engine and ram it with the torpedo. My dad's job was to take get rid of it all. The natives would help them. They'd pile it all up on a good case of dynamite, run the wires a ways away and hide behind a hill or in a hole. Then he'd point at the natives, signal them by putting his fingers in his ears, get them to do the same and they'd push the plunger. BOOM!

 

[EddieWalker]

When my brother was stationed in Okanowa, his unit went to Iwo Jima for some training late in 1988. While exploring the caves, he and a few other Marines found a wooden case full of BAR's. They were still wrapped in paper and coated in cosmoline. BRAND NEW!!!!

The Leutenant made them carry it out and bring it to the CO. Then they were dismissed and nothing was ever heard about them again.

Eddie

 

[MossRoad]

Wow, that would be an exciting find!

 

[mjarrels]

On one cruise, we had a gator (navigator) on the aircraft carrier who narreterd the passage thru "iron bottom sound" for hours... Knew his stuff. Maybe why the oceans are raising is because of the junk we put on the bottom... you would not believe what Navy ships dump over board and I cannot imagine what other ships dump overboard?

mark

 

[mjarrels]

Eddie,

I bought a Weatherby 7MM rifle while onboard the USS Enterprise (serviceman discount). It was mailed via Manila to the ship in Subic Bay. I to this day cannot figure out how it passed thru without being stolen. Ship gunners had a cow when it was deliverd even thou I had made previous arrangments with my CAG gunner. Probably no 7MM rounds withinn 7 thousand miles. "I can not confirm nor denay the presents of neclear weapons onboard"

mark

 

[dmccarty]

It was inside the forward hangar(inside the ship, below flight deck). It literally launched the plane from inside the ship. The hangar is obviously lower than the flight deck; coming out of that cat put the plane very low over the water.

This would NOT be fun.

Later,
Dan

 

[Jimbrown]

These are poor because they are old. from some of my fathers stuff from the 25 inf Div Guadalcanal and new Georgia.