We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:39:46 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification The carrier in the picture in this post, that I challenged you to identify was indeed HMAS Melbourne. Your clinching clue that she was Aussie was the Gannetts. Of all those nations who operated that class of carrier, only the Aussies used Gannetts. Yes, I actually planned the post that way... Now here's another make-ya-look-twice picture. Yep, that's a C-130 sitting on the deck of the USS Forrestal. Yep, it's all for real. The whole story (with videos) is available here at The Aviation Zone. At Cassandra's old stomping grounds, I Love Jet Noise, Joatmoaf has more. Just, kewl. We... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:41:33 -0600 Do they still show the Melbourne-Evans film to mids? "Too close for Mo-Boards, lets eyeball it in." The Naval Aviation Museum should still have the Piper cub that the Vietnamese pilot landed. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57283 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57283 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:44:15 -0600 mentioned in this space some years ago - with the kicker that the Evans was *not* the Melbourne's first victim.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57278 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57278 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:34:52 -0600 http://steeljawscribe.blogspot.com/2007/01/flightdeck-friday-flat-top-oddities.html BTW, note the inscription on the C-130's nose... - SJS]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57277 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57277 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:53:56 -0600 HMAS Melbourne- the famous Aussie "can opener" that sliced USS Frank E. Evans (DD-754) in two, hitting dead amidships in the dark hours of 3 June 1969. Probably the fault of the Evan's Officer of the Deck, but 72 dead sailors as a result. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57276 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57276 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 10:48:49 -0600 Notice that centerline is off center? They moved it 6 ft to port (left) to make sure they could clear the island. IIRC the reason they canned the idea of using C-130's for COD was if that puppy went down on deck you had a useless carrier unless you rolled it off the side. They also disabled an interlock to allow the C-130 to apply reverse thrust while still airborne. In a past squid like life I was on the Forrestal (aka FID) for the 1988 Med/NATO cruise. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57270 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57270 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 08:58:11 -0600 Ahh the USS "Forest Fire" One of my good friends served on her in the late 1990's. Which was a introspective for myself....since my Dad had also served on her in the late 1970's..... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57268 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/03/speaking_of_air.html#comment-57268 Thu, 01 Mar 2007 08:50:31 -0600