HMS Ocean - Full Flight Deck

Just found a load of my dad's old photo's.

He was on HMS Ocean during the Korean war as a WAFU Armourer working on Hogie Carmichael's Sea Fury (First piston aircraft to shoot down a jet)

Great picture of a full flight deck and sortie info below.

http://www.gracecraft.co.uk/hidden1

 

Any idea of what the take-off run was for one of those? From the picture it would seem they were quite pushed for length!

 

Sorry Peter, can't answer that one, however, Wikipedia shows Ocean as 630 feet in length.

There is still a Sea Fury in service in the historic flight at Heron (Yeovilton).

I know people from Heron use this site so hopefully someone may be able to answer the take off roll for you.

 

You're shagged if the only 'S' one is at the stern! Who'd be a chockhead??

 

I remember when I was in Gibralter in '53. The Theseus or the Ocean came on her way home from Korea, and instead of using tugs to turn the ship around, she had aircraft ranged on the flight deck, for'd of the island faced to starb'd, aft faced to port. They then just revved the aircraft engines up and the ship turned around on the proverbial sixpence. the tugs then just nudged her in alongside.

 

The Aircraft are being launched by catapult. The free takeoff would be from approx, the fourth aircraft down.

Junglydaz bear in mind that the wings fold.

 

Wings fold??...not when they're flying surely?? :grin: :grin:

(I know Hig, shut the fcuk up!) :shock:

 

Well done Hig, you're right, I forget they had catapult launch.

 

and whats the betting the AEO of the squadron would want the last cab on the deck for servicing!

 

it dont matter which one is TU. they will still ask for the one at the arse end

 

OK boys, what do "You're shagged if the only 'S' " and "it dont matter which one is TU" mean?

Sorry to be a thicko !

 

How else do you think they flap hard enough to take off? Silly man. :razz:

 

That deck is an active fight deck, they are all going to go(touch wood) there is no purpose whatsoever for the AEO to ask for any aircraft for servicing, they appear all to be burning and turning, Personally i think that it is just a staged range for the camera, then it wont matter. Normally the aircraft would not all be spread at that stage. Anyone that worked on the proper flight decks would understand that, having said that it is a very impressive photograph.

 

Sometimes matey, sometimes. Seen it happen..............Spurrrrlash!
:lol: :lol:
Roofrat

 

Oh....right...ta.
(Thought if God wanted us to fly, He would have given us airline tickets!!)
:grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin: :grin:

 

So OK, I didn't actually serve on a carrier. but did plenty of plane guards for them and seen a few splash. Stood there and thought " now he didn't want to do that did he?" :shock: :lol:

 

"S" means serviceable and "TU" is Tits Up or dead or to be polite replace TU with Mammaries Uppermost

 

KLNA - If you are looking for a home for any of them I imagine the HMS OCEAN Association would be grateful.

http://www.tosd.demon.co.uk/ocean/main.htm

 

Thanks F169 - my Dad (RIP) was a member of the Ocean Association so I think they may have had access - I will look at their site though, thanks for the link.

 

Only last year one of Theseus' Korea pilots was reminiscing to me how steady the Sea Fury was in the dive.

btw most of those a/c in the pic are Fireflies as in:

"On her other thigh, was a Fairey Firefly .."

Of course we were able to keep a carrier on station off Korea for the entire three years of the war. Fat chance we could do that now.