Antietam (CV 36) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 46 text:

E E s ENGINEER LIGHTS OFF machinery, provides power to operate elevator. HANGAR DECK AND ELEVATURS Shuflling of planes begins many hours before first flight is scheduled, continues throughout day. Eighteen-hour day is average. Planes must be in right position on hangar deck so they can be moved to flight deck quickly. Elevators are located forward between the catapults, arnidships on deckedge and just aft of the island su- perstructure. Deckedge elevator received most use. MULE DRIVER takes time out for coffee. Tractors are used to move planes when there is large area in which to operate. FORWARD ELEVATCR lowers jet not scheduled for next launch. PLANE PUSHERS guide photo plane to deckedge elevator, where it will be raised to flight deck level and spotted for launch. HANGER DECK CREW W- Y d 1. 1 , .moves Corsair on No. 3 elevator. Elevator, hy- rau ica ly operated, will lift plane to flight deck in three seconds.

Page 45 text:

ANGEL ALIGI-IT-S after all planes are in. It hovers beside ship during launches and recoveries. Eminent Everyone breathes easier after all the planes have safely land- ed. Pilots go below to give their Air Intelligence Ollicers details on what happened, get out of their uncomfortable flight togs, and relax until next flight. For some of the flight deck crew the end of recovery means knock oil for awhile, for others it sig- nals time to go to work. Many of the planes will go below for maintenance work, flak damage repairs, getting set for the next launch begins immediately. ll, Q DEBRIEFING reverses briefing process. Pilots tell intelligence ofiicers what they saw, hit on mission. AD IS REFUELED, tank holds 380 gallons, enough to last about three and a half hours. 4 FLIGHT DECK CONTROL jammed with plane directors await orders to respot deck for next launch. Miniature numbered planeslare laid out on table representing flight deck, to plan parking position. SERVICE CONTROL WATCH erases another day's event, ready to list tomorrow's events. Here status of each plane regarding repairs and maintenance checks is charted, coordinated with flight schedule.

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7 f 1 .ff Of 1 WJ RADIO REPAIBMAN adjusts antenna on Corsair night- REPAIRS ARE MADE xx b x HEPAIRMAN goes bottoms up to cheek equipment installed under cockpit AVIATION MECHANICS fix lines to big prop before lifting it into position Qrightj. Propeller in position Qabovej , they ease it onto shaft. Then dome which houses gears that control propeller pitch will be set. ENLISTED MEN of photo group install aerial cameras in nose of jet photoplane. Big cameras are used to photograph possible targets, later confirm damage inflicted. f