WWII Carrier Aviation Aircraft Movement

Modeling Subjects Ships
1

Hey-

Is there a reference book/manual/website that explains the nuts and bolts of the movement of aircraft around the flight deck and hangar deck on a US aircraft carrier during WWII? I am interested in the positioning and movement of aircraft on the ship during flight ops in combat.

I’m working on a diorama and am trying to work out the most likely configuration of aircraft on the hangar deck at any given time.

Thanks for the help.

Phil

2

www.zenosflightshop.com/…/ladydvd.htm

Bonus features on this DVD include Landing and respotting plus Cat. ops too. Most informative.

3

http://youtu.be/bfkwjU8k6W4

http://youtu.be/Fx7Gto1zrrg

Free on Utube. Happy watching.

4

Hey-

Thanks! Very informative vids.

Thanks again,

Phil

5

I’ve been looking for manuals about that at the US National Archives for a couple of years (a trip a year, so not really intently) with no luck. However, I did post CV-13 USS Franklin’s Damage report for the war, which shows the spotting of planes on her flight and hangar decks on plates two and three.

6

I’ve been looking for similar info, for my 1/700 Essex, and not just spotting info, but for interior details.

This is an interesting photo, which I have from Squadron’s “Essex-Class Carriers At Sea”, showing a plotting board used to track where aircraft were spotted at any given time:

I don’t know how much it helps you, but I think it provides an interesting insight into how this info was tracked or managed.

Best regards,

Brad

7

I used to watch flight operations from an empty gun tub on the aft of the island on the 02 level while standing smoke watch for engineering dept. It usually looked kinda chaotic to me, but was really a finely orchestrated ballet of men and machines. No deckload was the same as another, depending on the mission. Only the launch was in the same place as it depended on the catapult which was of course, in a fixed location. All other movements were quite fluid. Amazing to watch.

EJ

8

Hey-

Thanks for the info, very interesting. Seems like this was accomplished more by gouge passed down from experience than from procedures that were written down.

Thanks again,

Phil

9

I’m going to wager that you’re wrong about that. I suspect that there was documentation, just that you haven’t found any yet.

10

Don’t know what gouge means, but I am sure it was all X’s and O’s upstairs. Undoing a wrong move could be a complete disaster. I do think things got haywire in battle with returning squadrons, refueling, rearming and relaunching but even then there was a plan.

11

Hey-

GMorrison, I’m sure individual ships had a very detailed plan for the days operations. By gouge I mean that the CV aircraft handlers fleet-wide learned what works and what doesn’t work during pre-war practice, exercises, drills & even combat and they passed this experience, or “gouge” on to other ships crews and this spread through the CV community without it really being officially written down. This as opposed to them conducting operations according to the Bureau of Ships “CV Aircraft Handling Manual” if there was such a thing.

the Baron, you’re probably right that there was a manual, I just don’t know if anyone has found it. It would be a fascinating read.

Thanks,

Phil

12

That’s what I’ve been looking for at NARA. No luck yet.