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USS Nimitz 1977/78 Med Cruise CVW-8 info required


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Hi all,

 

I have a long term project on the go to build a representative aircraft from all the units of CVW-8 onboard the USS Nimitz, I have the Aeromaster 1/48 CVW-8 special decal set which includes the bulk of the units as below:

 

F-14A Tomcat  - VF-41 & 84

A-7E Corsair II - VA-82 & 86

A-6E & KA-6D Intruder  - VA-35

EA-6B Prowler  - VAQ-135

S-3 Viking  - VS-24

SH-3 Sea King  - HS-9

 

That just leaves me three (maybe 4) units to source, the kits for these weren't available when this set was released:

 

RA-5C Vigilante - RVAH-6 (as luck has it the Trumpeter kit includes markings for this one)

E-2B Hawkeye - VAW-112 (Kinetic / Italeri kit with Steel Beach E-2B conversion) not sure what to do on decal front though as I can't turn up clear photographs.

EA-3B Skywarrior - VQ-2 (Trumpeter TA-3B kit with Steel Beach EA-3B conversion set) I'm hoping the aircraft just had the Sandeman VQ-2 tail markings which are quite basic so i'm tempted to have a go at producing these myself.

 

The maybe aircraft is the COD, I'm sure I've read that Nimitz had a C-1 Trader for COD duties but I don't know the unit or if it was in fact a C-2 for this cruise, if its a C-2 then I'll invest in a Kinetic kit, if it's a C-1 then I'm pretty much scuppered other than serious modding to an S-2 kinetic/Italeri kit.

 

I am looking for information concerning Bu No's. of the E-2, Bu No's. and Modex of the EA-3B and any info on the COD.

 

Also with regards to the EA-3B I was wondering if I need to order the Steel Beach EA-3B early or late conversion set? I think its the late one but can't be sure.

 

Sorry if this post is a bit long winded, I've tried googling the units and cruise history but my Google-fu has proved to be weak on this one, I hope someone out there can help, and look forward to any responses, photos would be great too.

 

BTW I've often wondered why other decal producers haven't been tempted to do a similar CVW themed decal set, particularly as there are now kits of almost all the aircraft available.

 

Happy modelling

Ant

 

Edited by Ant Phillips
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This might help you. http://www.gonavy.jp/CVW-AJf.html

If you scroll down to the 77-78 cruise, you will see a button at the bottom of the box, click that, and you get a BuNo list, including the Nimitz' COD. That COD was assigned to the ship, not the Wing or Any Squadron.

 

As for the EA-3B, I don't see one listed. I will check the Ginter Skywarrior book for you, but, I can't do it right now.

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Just now, Rex said:

This might help you. http://www.gonavy.jp/CVW-AJf.html

If you scroll down to the 77-78 cruise, you will see a button at the bottom of the box, click that, and you get a BuNo list, including the Nimitz' COD. That COD was assigned to the ship, not the Wing or Any Squadron.

 

As for the EA-3B, I don't see one listed. I will check the Ginter Skywarrior book for you, but, I can't do it right now.

 

Hi Rex,

 

I'm familiar with the Go Navy site, but completely forgot about the Bu.No listings, the information about the EA-3B came from the Aeromaster instructions, the foreword is written by Ken Austin who I believe was a crewmember (it may be his photo's that are used in the instruction booklet), Ken states:

 

"Our first stop (as for all carriers) was Rota, Spain where we would pick up supplies and take on our spyplanes, EA-3B's of VQ-2 based at Rota"

 

I've found a few pictures of EA-3B's from the late 70's period aboard other carriers and at the Air Tattoo at Greenham Common in '77 (they were from the Saratoga) I guess the markings would be pretty similar, if push comes to shove I'll be creative and model an aircraft that might have been on board.

 

I'm in no rush for the information as I said this is a long term project that will run for a few years (at my rate of building anyway), I would just like to get as close as i can.

 

I'm also planning on doing a similar project for the HMS Ark Royal air group at a similar time, Phantoms, Buccaneers, Gannet AEW, Sea Kings and Wessex SAR, odddly other than the Gannet (which might have to be in 1/72) the decals for those subjects are readily available in 1/48.

 

Happy modelling

Ant

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Temporary Detachments don't always get a lot of coverage.

 

But, the Ginter book does give some help with the markings for that time period.

 

there is a photo captioned "over the Med in 1977." The aircraft is a "normal" painted EA-3B, with only the BuNo 146453 in small numbers, in the usual place above the NAVY and below the horizontal stabilizers. The number 15 is on the nose and on the tail just in front of the tail cone.

 

No tail codes, but, the Black Sandman is on the tail with a colored triangle behind him. It looks like this one, only with different Nose number and BuNo, but in the same places.

3374529441_c77b8b00cb_o.jpg

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Cheers Rex, that's great info, I'm familiar with the picture you posted, I'm sure I've seen that one labelled as from the Saratoga in early '77.

 

I'm quietly confident that I could reproduce the Sandeman figure on the tail, as there's quite a few pics about of it.

 

Happy modelling

Ant

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I was on the Nimitz from 84 to 87 (VA-82) but here is how the COD's worked while I was aboard;

 

While we were doing work ups and operating off the East Coast of the states the COD's (both C-1 and C-2's) were from VRC-40 based out of Norfolk, once we got to the Med (6th Fleet) we would C-2's from VR-24.

 

The COD's didn't stay onboard (unless they broke down), they would come out, drop off the mail/cargo and the launch out on the next go.

 

For the VQ-2 birds, we would get one bird once we in-chopped (cross the Straits of Gibraltar) and the squadron would regularly change out birds during the cruise. All of VQ-2 birds looked the same except for the modex so if you see a picture of one bird on a different carrier the chances of all of their birds looking the same are extremely high.

 

As for the Whale (EA-3B), it would be a late variant.

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He's talking about the time period when the CODs were still done "sixties style."

 

Back then, they were still assigned to the ship, and were maintained by the S-2, E-1, or E-2 unit deployed in the Carrier. Nimitz's was so famous from '75 to '79 that they had decals produced for them at one time. (I do not remember the sheet name or number, though)

 

You are right though, for the "Shuttle-COD" era that followed.

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C-2's were never assigned to the Nimitz and the Nimitz didn't have an S-2 squadron onboard so she would not deploy with a C-1. (The E-2 squadron would not host the C-1 since there was no ADR's assigned to the squadron)

 

Besides, C-1's did not deploy with the carriers after Vietnam, they were only onboard while the ship was part of the 2nd Fleet.

 

If you want to do a C-1 assigned to the Nimitz then it would not be accurate for a Med Cruise, those would have been left on the beach, probably with VRC-40 out of Norfolk, when the ship went to the Med.

 

 

 

ADR= Aviation Machinist's Mate Reciprocating Engine Mechanic

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The Nimitz was also not around in the sixties.

 

I was describing what "sixties style" was, and that the Nimitz C-1 had a specific BuNo. It was in separate posts, though.

 

Sixties Style continued into the seventies.

 

Here's a 1975 cruise with both a VRC-40 Det, and the "homeplate COD" http://www.gonavy.jp/CVW8-AJ1975.html

 

And I am now done with this, I have another stack of Fleet Locations to enter into a database. (about halfway done double checking the GoNavy site)

Edited by Rex
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