By: Norm Goyer
These Corsairs were photographed while flying over a remote island in the South Pacific.
In my opinion, some of the most exciting and dramatic photographs of aircraft are those picturing Navy aircraft operating from carriers or in flight over the vast oceans of the world. For me it is impossible to look at a photograph of a Corsair without searching for details as to which model Corsair I was looking at. Is it a F4U-1 or is it an F4U-4? No, I only see three prop blades so it must be an earlier model than a Dash 4. There were so many minor changes and yes, major changes, that I still find this 70 year old aircraft very fascinating. One of the big regrets of my life is that I never had the chance to fly a Corsair or land on a carrier. The atom bombs stopped the war but it also prevented me from realizing some of my dreams.
The Curtiss Helldiver saw action operating from carriers during later years of Pacific war.
Carrier aircraft are more photogenic because of many elements. A constantly shifting runway, heart-in-the-mouth take offs, where the plane powers itself off the deck (before catapults) and dips toward the ocean below, then slowly rises and heads out to sea. Landings are very dramatic, especially in stormy seas. Watching World War II era LSO (landing signal officers) waving their flags, now mostly replaced by computer controlled position lights is extremely visual. The actual snatching of one of the cables, by the arresting-hook dangling from the tail of the aircraft adds to the excitement. During the height of sea battles, many aircraft returned to their carriers damaged, landing gears stuck up, or only partially down, pilot injured or blinded by an oil covered windscreen. I still cringe when I see that Hellcat slam into the superstructure of the carrier and break in half, or the Corsair bounce over the cables and slide on its nose, while deck crewmen rush to put out the fire. Our modern Navy jet fighters are equally photogenic and require even more skills due to their speed and complexity. Our nation owes every Navy pilot who risked his life for our freedom a very special thanks and a “Well done.”
Not all Navy aircraft were based on carriers. The Vought Kingfisher was used on cruisers and other naval ships. They were launched by catapult, landed on the water, then craned back onto the ship.
The US Navy recently released, through their museum archives, a series of photographs depicting Naval aviation. I looked through hundreds of photos, over several days, and picked out a few which I really thought “told the story of carrier operations.” NG
The Korean War saw renewed use of World War II Corsairs. These are aboard the USS Oriskany headed for Korea.
This Korean era carrier's deck has prop-driven Corsairs and jet powered Grumman Panthers.
Vietnam saw US carriers back in action. The Grumman A-6 Intruder is shown clearing the deck after launching.