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VF-1 tomcats USS Enterprise Vietnam 1974


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Hi,

I'm doing research for a future built.....it kinda blew my mind that a (then)starship like the Tomcat caught the tail end of the Vietnam war.

Been googling for a few weeks now, and though I have found some pics not a lot seems available (probably not a lot of private stuff has been digitized)

the base will be the wolfpack edition of the Hase 1/48 kit which is close, but is an all grey aircraft.

so my questions:

where to find the good stuff picture wise?

how long were the Tomcats out there for, and how (non) weathered would they have been?

As they flew CAP what would the loadout have been? (-9, -7, 54's.....tanks maybe?)

 

that is all I can think of right now...thanks for reading! 

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Well, the Tomcats then were an interesting footnote to the War, but only a footnote nonetheless. They were brand new, first cruise ever, I believe, and "nice and shiny".  Basically they arrived in time to cover the evacuation. Too little, too late.

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Thanks!, so nice and clean it is then.

what are the panels that are regularly opened on a Tomcat?

How long had they been on cruise when they arrived in theather?

 

@Finn, certainly looks like Vietnam, I went to Hanoi and Ho-Chi-Minh city a few years ago for work, visited what was left of the Hanoi Hilton. remarkably little about the war in there, much more about the French colonial days/oppression

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16 hours ago, Finn said:

Hi,

That's a great shot, Jari.:thumbsup:

I have never seen one like it. 

Aigore,

I have Fightertown decals 48-014. Except for BuNo 159465 and BuNo 159461, they all have the broad beavertail. BuNo 159465 is post-cruise 1975.

Cheers, Stefan. 

 

16 hours ago, Finn said:

 

f76e612c401bec40ef700b2f7c243895.jpg

 

Jari

 

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33 minutes ago, Aigore said:

Cool idea....actually exactly my thought too, I'm planing a Tamiya kitty to feature the VF-1 colors. Just got to find decals :)

Did the early VF-1 kittys have the broad beaver tail?

Yes they did.

 

CAP loadouts ranged from 2x2, to 2x2x2. No external droptanks (they existed, they just weren't mandated yet). Certain VF-1 and VF-2 jets had the experimental IR chin sensor installed instead of just the ALQ-100

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F-14s being hoisted aboard:

 

http://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cvn65-74/004.htm

 

at the bottom is the link to the rest of the 74/75 cruise book.

 

edit: A couple more pics from that time frame:

 

http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=69080

 

http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=71201

 

Jari

Edited by Finn
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Can't help but notice that the dielectric panels on the sidesof the beavertails are removed...were they ever on during the cruise?

 

Another intersting thing about the pics is that both exhausts are fully open instead of one closed and one open.

Edited by Aigore
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I'm also planning on building a VF-1 Tomcat from their initial cruise.  I have Fightertown's "Fightertown USA Part 2" decal set and recently received the Steel Beach backdate set.  The shape is nice, but some of the engraved detail didn't carry over from the molds and will require some work with a scriber to restore the panel lines.  Looks like some cutting will also be required to remove the dielectric panels on the beaver tail.  Does anyone know if Wichita 101 had the IR sensor installed for the first cruise?  I've seen a couple of web photos of 101 with and without the sensor but can't determine the time frame.  Thanks.  

 

Steve

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11 minutes ago, Aigore said:

Can't help but notice that the dielectric panels on the sidesof the beavertails are removed...were they ever on during the cruise?

 

Another intersting thing about the pics is that both exhausts are fully open instead of one closed and one open.

On the Fightertown Decal sheet dedicated to VF-1, a note states the dielectric panels had been removed by the time of the first cruise.  

 

Steve

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11 minutes ago, Falconxlvi said:

On the Fightertown Decal sheet dedicated to VF-1, a note states the dielectric panels had been removed by the time of the first cruise.  

 

Steve

Great info, you know how they looked where the dielectric panels should have been, colors and structure and so on?

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I plan on depicting the area the same way Darren has done with his second Tomcat build posted the other day.  Basically, dark gray where the panel cover joins the aft part of the fuselage and then paint the beaver tail the same color as the fuselage.  Pics on the web seem to back that up.  

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I would say if they were flying Cap missions over land, Phoenix missiles likely would NOT be carried for fear that if an F-14 got tagged by a SAM, it would mean a missile potentially ending up in Soviet hands. The Navy was pretty particular to keep those out of enemy hands, even going so far as to haul an F-14 with a missle on it off the bottom of the ocean when it went off the deck due to a malfunction (with a Soviet spy trawler watching the whole time).

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41 minutes ago, Jay Chladek said:

I would say if they were flying Cap missions over land, Phoenix missiles likely would NOT be carried for fear that if an F-14 got tagged by a SAM, it would mean a missile potentially ending up in Soviet hands. The Navy was pretty particular to keep those out of enemy hands, even going so far as to haul an F-14 with a missle on it off the bottom of the ocean when it went off the deck due to a malfunction (with a Soviet spy trawler watching the whole time).

from what I hear, the F14 flew one flight over the main land on what was probably close to the last day of the war. There was little if any chance of meeting a Mig over Saigon. What was close by were ZSU 57's out by An Loc (would be in the turning radius). Have see film footage of the flight, but you can't tell much about it as it's really nothing but a dark grey blur.

gary

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14 hours ago, Finn said:

F-14s being hoisted aboard:

 

http://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cvn65-74/004.htm

 

at the bottom is the link to the rest of the 74/75 cruise book.

 

edit: A couple more pics from that time frame:

 

http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=69080

 

http://collections.naval.aviation.museum/emuwebdoncoms/objects/common/webmedia.php?irn=71201

 

Jari

Thanks!, not knowing how the navy works I didn't know where to look, seems logical now I see it....

 

interesting that pinstripe on the ventral fins in that last pic, never noticed that.

 

More questions from a total noob......how do the planes get to the harbor/quay?...is there an harbor airfield where the ships berth?

Edited by Bozothenutter
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5 hours ago, Bozothenutter said:

More questions from a total noob......how do the planes get to the harbor/quay?...is there an harbor airfield where the ships berth?

 

I'm just surmising here, but I think that for that cruise, Enterprise left out of North Island in San Diego, California. There is indeed an NAS right there and they could probably tractor the Tomcats down Moffett Road to the quay.

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