Princeton (CVA 37) - Naval Cruise Book

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as twldgets take on radio repalrs whlle ordnance crew rushes to load for next strike 3 snnnn 3 Pick up the squadron log book, read it, note the heading at the start of each day:- Fighter Squadron ONE HUNDRED NINETY THREE QVF l93j, with Carrier Air Group NINETEEN QCVG-195, aboard the U.S.S. PRINCETON QCV-375. LCDR N. W. BOE, USN, Commanding. Twenty-ni'ne.Q29j officers and one hundred nineteen 41195 enlisted men attached, sixteen U65 F4U-4 aircraft assigned. . That's it VF 193, 148 officers and men, 16 planes, complete in so many words, but no-something is missing. What is it you say? Not much, perhaps, only a collection of personalities that would take a lifetime to meet, given ordinary circum- stances. Take the pilots for instance, a reckless, carefree bunch of kids? Hardly, most of them married men with wives and children awaiting their homecoming. The bachelors think them a bunch of dead headsn? Ask them about the quiet evenings at the Yokosuka O' Club-they're not unhappy. What about duties? Mention a few things, H0630 launch , brief in five minutes , meeting at 1300 , reports are due .... Gripe much? Hell yes! Don't stop there, with the pilots, look for the ground oflicers, you'll probably have to search awhile- check that plane , guns won't fire , mag drop's too high , it's all in a days work. The uninformed would stop here, twenty-nine officers, that's the Squadron , they would say, Enough pilots to fly the planes. The informed, however, would see it this way, You need enough ground crew to keep them in the air',, and they'd be right. Start with the plane captains, but start early or you will miss half their working day. 0630 launch? Revielle at 0300-man the planes-flight quarters. 1200? Still on the planes-flight quarters. 1930? Ah! Day's over,- secure from flight quarters. Union hours? Guess again. Look around a little more, the ordnance gang, muscles,'. 2400 rounds of 50 caliber, four 250 pound bombs, one 500 pound bomb per plane, fifteen planes per launch. Cables? Hoists? Quick loaders?-never! Push, pull, lift, carry, 2300 pounds per plane, fifteen planes per launch, all muscle. Contimzed on page 148 a moment's relaxation mission comlllefed

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7 , an -x, Q ..., , X QA ' 1 51 trouble shooters remove Corsair cowling Pl'9Pal'af0l'Y 'f0 regular ninety 'WUT Check'-IP 'V f f f X f f f 7s ff Q,-5 1 .53 X tlr' I 4 4 A L A CAL. ' Q55 Al f I oven 'fA9C'EToQ launch 'em start props we'II attack from the East I I l 3 W i 4 1 ! 1 S i i I 1 i if .ix W M 1 F! n-I 1 Q -lr .xi ' w I 1 I 1 1 j 1 a f fs i , . r 1 5.

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plane assignments are called into the ready room prop pilots' 5. X' W , f ttf? ff' 'X aw, cw f' M , ,,,, ,p.,. . 54 4 H ' W W 2 f fa 5 X -V W' V- ..,,.... S f ,fm A 3 MK ,-..,.kss V W., , au X Q , -- is f f ...W is e W Q1 a , A , , ww , t. a ,sy , t F , , 1 4,2 - -we 'f . ff ss .rw fimZf W J: 4:1 1 Yi ' jf' is -If -i f Sf my W v i: ' fffw f - www ' 7 . s,,,,s,, WT , if f . 4 XRYN ff X 1 .ss. Then maintenance, the mechs. . ., grease monkeys?, no,-specialists. Hangar deck boys, day and night. Engine change , Carbureter trouble , Oil leak , name it, they'll repair it, right now, too. Look at the hole in that wing, means a wing change,-more waiting for replacement parts. Wait, hell, turn the metal benders on it. Cut here, rip, patch, rivet,- looks like new again, didn't need a new wing after all. 4More men, Electricians, Radiomen- VHF is out , YE is weak , generator is dead , get hot , fix it ,-it's done. y. While you are inspecting don't overlook the yeoman Pencil Pushers Who them? Why they sit around all day Sit? , sure, maybe four maybe fourteen hours, type, type, type, type- This report must go todayn, Run oHf 160 copies , Sign the original , it's sitting, but it s work. - Stop now, you're through looking-not much to see anyway, just a group of men working, griping, loafing, laughing, just like any other squadron. Any other? Stop one of them, ask him What do you think of the outHt? Go ahead, ask anyone, he'll tell you- Best damn outfit in the Navy. ', l ' a squadron's story isn't just pilots, planes, and paper, there are a few other things W f X fx