Great Idea for a Diorama

[11bee]

 

Pic courtesy of https://www.navysite.de/index.htm

 

This site is an invaluable source of cold-war pics, especially from the dozens of "cruise books" they have digitally scanned.    One thing I noted is that just about every carrier cruise book from this era has a "in memoriam" section at the end to honor the 3-4 USN pilots who were typically lost on each cruise.   Naval Aviation is still a dangerous business but back in those days, they had some horrendous losses. 

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by 11bee

[GW8345]

Common practice back in the late 50's/early 60's.

 

Back then carrier's didn't have air conditioning in the berthing spaces so when the carrier was operating in warm/hot climates the enlisted would bring their mattresses down to the hanger bay and sleep on the aircraft were it was cooler.

 

My Dad joined the Navy in 59 and his first carrier was the Forrestal, I remember he telling me about how he would take his bedding down to the hanger at night and sleep on the wing of a F4D Skyray because the hanger was a hell of a lot cooler than the berthing.

[Geoff M]

Just make sure you got the keys to this baby in your pocket. : )

 

Geoff M

 

[Scooby]

Common in the 80s too, when I worked Herc’s we  had a midnight shift only to launch the SAR Bird. After we did a preflight check we’d look for a Herc on the Flightline to sleep in the bunk (summertime only). Often we found couples already occupying the bunk.

[BillS]

Reminds me of a story I heard all over the Air Force. Back in the day of the Hun, there apparently was a flightline guy who used to crawl in the intake for his naps. There was a piece of ground support equipment unique to the F-100 called the “Deuce”. It was a tractor with its own gas turbine used to not only tow aircraft but provide starting air. One day the colleagues of the napping guy decided to break his habit by pulling a Deuce up to the jet then cranked the turbine starter. Legend has it that guy shot out of the intake at light speed lest he be chewed to pieces!  

[parche]

I remember going to Radio Island in Morehead City, NC where a MEU had it's equipment laid out for loading on an ARG. There was a long line of 105 howitzers and on one of them, a Marine was sleeping on the barrel, arms and legs hanging over like a big cat on a tree branch. The LTC I was with joked that he was security and the howitzers weren't going anywhere with the guy sleeping on them. I assume he was fuming on the inside.

 

Dave