Ward, my father who earned his wings in 1936 at Pensacola landed on all the old carriers mentioned in this video. He also was the first Marine aviator credited with shooting down a Japanese aircraft at Midway in March 1942. Colonel James L. Neefus, Navy Cross Award.
i was on active duty 73-77 and stationed on a Mars class combat store ship. The Nimitz was operating in the VACAPES OP area during her pre-comissioning and we were preparing to conduct an early morning UNREP. As this was an early morning exercise and my UNREP station was on the bridge I had the opportunity to observe Nimitz on a southerly heading as we approaching from the west; the result watching the sun rise over the ship. The sight was awe inspiring in that for a few moments the ship blotted out the sun. This was a fantastic way to start your day.
Living in Norfolk, from a civilian’s point of view, there is nothing as inspiring as seeing and hearing a carrier’s air wing fly in to NAS Oceana and seeing 4 carriers in port at NAS Norfolk at one time.
I live in Perth Australia, and over the years there have been many visits by US Navy aircraft carriers, from the USS Saratoga (CV-3) in 1944 to the USS John C Stennis (CVN-74). From 1975 to today (2022) there have been 51 visits by 14 American aircraft carriers to the port of Fremantle. The aircraft carrier with the most visits to Fremantle was the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with 10 visits, followed by USS Constellation (CV-64) with 9 visits, and it is estimated that over half a million Western Australians have visited these ships from 1975 to 2015, which was when the last US Carrier visited Western Australia...so far!
Ian- I was on Enterprise when she stopped at Perth in 83' Sometime in January that year. At that point we had been to Hawaii, Philippines and Mombasa, Kenya. Afterward more exotic ports. Perth was my favorite for the simple reason of how we were received. The experience was really apart from all our port of call. Looking back at it now I would describe it ass we were more like guests there as compared to being a source of income to the locals. 88 days from Kenya to Perth. All the holidays spent at sea. We were greeted with a beautiful ferry with a fully stocked bar with air conditioning. Public transit was free our first day. Stores offered generous discounts but no one chased us about to buy from them. Of all the adventure and beauty of the place we visited Pert/Freemantle was the one truly welcoming port of that cruise and that is what sets it apart for me. Hell I even read your news sometimes. LOL
@@jackforbes826 yes it is still like that even after September 11th 2001, when access to the ships at Fremantle Harbour by the Perth public was removed, but it's a rare event now that a US Navy battle group visit Fremantle, there has not been one here since April 2015...
I had to laugh at 22:45 when Mr. Goodspeed called the F-8 a "new generation" of fighter requiring a large deck carrier. In fact, the F-8 community operated for the most part from Essex class carriers and we always had two A-3 tankers onboard as well. Basically if you were a Crusader driver, you operated from a Twenty Seven Charlie and if you flew Phantoms you were a big-boat guy, at least when it came to fighting the Vietnam war. When it came to getting the clap in Sigonella, you'll have to ask someone from the East Coast.
Hms Vindictive with its dozen planes was dispatched to Baltic Sea in 1919 which was an active war zone of baltic independence wars. Whether she made any difference as a ship is up to anyone's guess but the presence of royal navy itself proved to be decisive at sea. So its quite impressive that a carrier was in active war zone as early as 1919
I was in the U S Navy at NAS Oceana Va. Beach, Va. when the Nimitz was commissioned. I was a plane captain in VA-42, an A6 Intruder training squadron. I was luck to have worked on 3 aircraft carriers when we went on carrier quals. They were USS Independents, Lexington & the FDR. Exciting work on the flight deck during flight opps. especially at night. Dangerous too !!!!!!!!
Commander Carrol this was simply awesome. I served on the USS Independence, CV-62 from 74-78 and transferred to NAS Pensacola, Florida 78-81 and I love Naval aviation. When deciding to enlist when I was 17 I was deciding between the USN and the USAF and my father who retired from the Air Force when I was 14 thought the USN would offer more career opportunities so I join the Navy and later retired from the Navy. Do you remember what FTN means? Fun, Travel and go Navy!
Ward, I enjoy these videos that you do so much. You always have such wonderful guests on that have such a vast amount of knowledge on whatever subject that you have chosen. Thank you for all the knowledge that you disseminate to us all. And thank you to Rick Beatto for getting you to do this channel. The reason you are so successful is that you seem like the kind of guy that we would all like to sit down and have a beer with and listen to the stories that you have. Much love to you all and thank you for creating such a wonderful channel.
I have followed the transformation of carriers all my life. My oldest brother was in a torpedo bombing squadron stationed on the Badoeng Strait (CVL- 116) in the 46/47 era. I was determined to be part of that community and in 1963 got orders to FDR (CVA-42) in the engineering department. I was in thick of of it. Have followed the progress ever since. Had two cracker-jack skippers: VADM Miller and VADM Cagle to learn from. Miller was gracious enough to communicate with me and answer my many questions, years after his 85th birthday through almost the time of his passing. You fill in lots of blanks and flavor it with great stories and contemporary players. BZ
A very conveniently-timed video, seeing as Ford will finally make her first cruise on Monday. We’ll finally get to see the culmination of a hundred years of constant learning and refining.
I was aboard the USS Newport News (CA-148) when we accompanied USS Enterprise (CVN-65) on her sea trials. She was incredibly fast on 2 reactors (and she had 8), they had a lot of civilians aboard, so they kept speed indicators covered. We heard in radio one that they had to reduce speed because the hull plates had begun to buckle. We operated with the Forestal in Vietnam, I was and am fascinated with carrier aviation. I was blessed to serve on 2 cruisers but never a flat top. "Fair Winds and Following Seas"
Ford served aboard the USS Monterey. My father in law served on it also. Wish I had gotten more of his story abroad during the Typhoon off the Philippines.
I took a tour with the gentleman as a intro before starting NIFE at NAS Pensacola, amazing knowledge and its a great motivation to see the previous periods of naval aircraft.
Love this channel ! My Dad was a part of this history...WWII combat air gunner and aviation radio man in Pacific. He said : " If your grandfather didn't tell me how to set the firing pins on my guns, you would be a PLANKTON in the ocean ! " I still have some of his flying gear, books, logbooks, and Morse code key. Of course, grandad was a WWI combat vet in France who began as an aviation mechanic.
The Langley looks really tall, frighteningly so, but I suppose at first everything was trial and error. It is pretty amazing that humanity went from barely being able to get off the ground with powered flight, to jets within fifty years. I really enjoy history, so thanks Ward, for content like this!
Hard to believe how much they've evolved. From repurposing to the epitome of Naval power as a purpose built floating city extending power to the 4 corners of the globe. It's an impressive piece of equioment.
Hi Ward I am a new subscriber. Been an aviation fan for more years than I care to remember. Really love your information you give over, so so interesting. Thankyou for your work.
The big point of the Langley was to be a testbed...all the early Naval Aviation "blooper reel" footage comes from that first decade aboard that ship. But the lessons learned made Lexington and Saratoga highly capable units from the outset.
I worked on the flight deck in the early 80s. I went from playing cat and mouse on USS Enterprise with the Soviets at high sea to watching that wall come down within a span of 7 years. Looking back it al seems fantastical but I am sure that for all Navy aviation sailors it is like that for them regardless of what era they served it is like that. For me looking back at the WWII era through the cold war and today with the USS Gerald R Ford and a new Enterprise on its way... for as different as these periods are there is is still something very familiar about them from my perspective.
Jack were you on Big E for WEST-PAC 82-83? If so then we were shipmates, I was a 19 year old AN with VS-37. I snagged some pics of those BEAR visits while we were on Gonzo station… And those AGI.s that tried to sidle near the BG!?!?!? Great intro for what would become my Naval Aviation career .
Very cool. I’m sure we did indeed pass each other on the roof! That was 40 years ago this fall when we set out from Alameda and the memories bring back a big smile, but I also remember the tragedies we suffered on that cruise.
The Yorktown-Class was a phenomenal design. Unfortunately the lack of torpedo defenses proved to be fatal to Yorktown and Hornet, but the amount of punishment all three took was unreal… and they usually always stayed on station after the fact. Was a testament to their design and the men who crewed them.
Very informative presentation Ward! My grandfather served on the Ranger in WWII. He would tell me stories about them training young Navy fliers with the Wildcats during that timeframe. He left the Navy post war and was able to take his Navy training to become a Master Electrician and have a successful career doing so.
Mention of the SBD Dauntless reminded me that my father in law, not a air crew, flew missions as the rear gunner. Said if he had to post folks to missions he had to go to see what was happening.
Hey Mooch , I love watching your channel and appreciate your straight forward format . The only time I have been on an aircraft carrier was probably 50 years ago when Hornet came to Long Beach, Calif. keep up the great work.
USS Nimitz 2002-2005. She was my best sea tour! I learned how to be a Chief on the Nimitz! I was in the Weapons Dept. The best women and men I have ever had the privilege of working for and with. My Gunner (Toni M.) was my mentor. She got me across the finish line for being selected as a Chief.
Very interesting to hear about the progression of the super carrier from the Yorktown that I served on. Great picture of the Apollo capsule recovery brought back memories of when we picked Apollo 8.
This presentation was really cool... When in the Marines, our unit (HMM 764) was detached for carrier ops onboard an LPH (10-Tripoli)... We were on that ship for a week, and it was unforgettable... Great training of how to maintain the aircraft and build-up things like tool kits, parts supplies and personal gear for every-day use... All neatly packed into embark box's and sea-bags... And of course, there were the 'General Quarters' drills while we were under-way!!! That was intense!!!Hot racking, in the sleeping areas, and of course the mess-deck where we had some really good chow!!! Now, I wish that I had extended my enlistment, to attain more experience on those type of things...And maybe get a start on a degree in engineering, through a college training course and a tuition assistance program. But, Still - I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to try it out... Definitely not an easy life, but a great way to see and experience some game changing skills and possibly a way to see another part of the world , maybe even become a 'shell-back' , and to present it on a resume after moving back into civilian life... Semper Fi....
I visited the midway carrier in San Diego. One of the first metal decked carriers for the United States I remember being told by the guide. Very impressive and that's a really old retired carrier. Interesting seeing the evolution of design over the years
Great abbreviated history there CDR Ward! I loved the photos, especially of the USS Forrestal and the F-9F from VF-51. My big brother served on Forrestal, and I decided to go Navy air. I served in VF-5. Awsome album.
In order ... assigned and deployed on board USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67/CV-67), USS Constellation (CV-64), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). Thirty years ... nine major deployments/workups ... both coasts, including a three month Caribbean jaunt on Ike and a 3 month NORPAC on Vinson. I am a retired carrier sailor!!! '72-'02.😎
When I was in A.I.T. (yea Army) at Ft Eustis, I seen the Nimitz and I think the George Washington at Newport News shipyard. It was an awesome site to see, and my first time to see an aircraft carrier.
I have two 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation ball caps. Now if I could find a 100th anniversary of the US carriers caps I would add those to my collection.
Great presentation. That mirror image at 25:00 is awesome. I hope you do a future episode about the challenges carrier warfare is facing given emerging technologies like stealth and unmanned weapons. They are still an awesome tool for force projection, although I'd be curious to see how they'd fare with a modern version of the old 20's-30's fleet problems.
Excellent to hear this history Ward, thank you! A nation that can field a fightn' navy, to protect their commerce and project the power forward, is arguably at least at the beginning of a "great power" status.
I did the USS Saratoga tour in San Diego, at the end I asked the former Captain, "any plans to take her out," to which he said "it would take too much money," causing a chuckle amongst the 20ish of us on the bridge.
I never would think that the Navy send their pilot and their carriers to Lake Michigan! How about old Navy air station smacked in middle of Ottumwa, Iowa! When I worked at VA , I drive past it everyday I can see the hangers that looked like it came fro the Navy! I was surprised when somebody told me about it.
I was working in port orchard WA. Putting in new water lines in the state park there and got to see the Nimitz close up going threw the channel there and if you have never seen one close up they are enormous and you must see one.
Ward this channel is absolutely awesome,, keep up the outstanding work as am posting it to very popular Facebook groups around the naval & aviation circuit sir 🇺🇸👍
@Ward Carroll can you do a reaction video on Eric "Winkle" Brown? The guy is a legend and I feel you would do him justice. His record for traps on a carrier is likely never to be broken.
@@Hammerli280 I grew up and was from the same area as Marion Carl. I heard a story about Winkle Brown and Marion Carl getting in a dogfight in F8F Bearcats over Norfolk. While Brown was in the states on an exchange program. I woulda paid to see that.
I remember seeing the former USS CABOT CVL28 moored in Rota Spain. Most of my sea duty was onboard LPH and LHD carriers in the Med. Sad thing is most of the boats and carriers I have the honor of serving on are now gone.
My father-in-law was a machinist mate aboard the Oriskany either right before or right after Bridges at Toko-Ri was filmed on it. He shot hours of 8mm film in his off time of the jets (Panthers or Cougars) during flight ops. I really need to convince my mother-in-law to let me convert these to digital format before something happens to the films.
If you become a Patron on Wards channel you can opine to him live. I know that the Brit’s were responsible for a lot of the development of several innovative ideas but most of the time the US Navy improved on those concepts and ideas. Given the time limits I think Hill covered the subject well. Diving into each area would take a lot more time than most people are willing to devote. Sparky
@@cvr527 Name the advancements they had before everyone else. The Japanese specially modified torpedoes to use in shallow water for the intention of sneak attacking someone in a port who wasn't on war footing and for the next 80 years everyone claims they were "ahead of everyone else", no they weren't. Their naval architecture, aircraft design and anything else you can name wasn't ahead of anyone. The Zero was a false God, aircraft design 101, they traded the weight needed for survivability features to get performance numbers they wanted which turned out badly everytime one got hosed down with .50 cal fire. Their ships, especially their aircraft carriers, were horribly designed with about the same survivability as the Zero, no real fire fighting capability, no safety or survivability designed into the way the aviation fuel was handled on those carriers, they might as well have had guy's carrying around buckets full of avgas in the middle of a battle. Just because there were some Japanese admirals who championed aircraft carriers before WW2 doesn't mean anything, just like the US and everyone else's navy they had certain admirals who believed in aircraft carriers and certain one's who believed in battleships, if they were so much more advanced and forward thinking than everyone else they'd have never wasted their time and resources building the Yamato and those other massive battleships that didn't do a thing during the war except give the US Navy something to sink, they'd have built 3 or 4 carriers complete with aircraft with the same resources it took to build each one of those battleships if they were that forward thinking. They weren't ahead of anyone, looking at their naval aircraft and ship designs they weren't ahead of anyone.
I agree that the Japanese had aircraft carriers (AC) very early on but they were an example of how not to build a AC. Lots of flawed decisions made in the construction lead to those AC loss fairly early on in war because of their almost noexistant damage control once they received a few bombs hits. Read "Shattered Sword" an excellent discussion on carrier development on both sides of the pacific as well as the turning point of the war in the pacific at the Battle of Midway when they lost 4 carriers!
I really like your broad range of topics related to Naval aviation that you cover. And good to see the aerial map of NAS Pensacola in the background of this video.
Served aboard the The Blue Ghost (USS Lexington) 85-88 V-2 Arresting Gear. I was working Pri-Fly the day we made history as the first carrier with 450,000 traps. Captain and Division Officers alike had a ceremony of the event. Even a chocolate cake with 450,000 TRAPS written on top in icing.
Outstanding presentation my Mr. Goodspeed. I've only been on two carriers, both museum ships (Intrepid and Yorktown), and I am continually amazed with the abilities of Naval Aviation to project force....and this is from a former USAF aircrewman. Of course, if we could build a ship with a 10,000 foot runway, we could do it too.😄
while I remember having encountered the point concerning ijn pilots flying 'til they were dead, it raises a question about ijn training. did the newly minted fliers get tactical instruction from their squadron seniors while on board? as for usa training, there is still the point about a pilot's first five missions and the survival rate.
Hey Mike, ijn pilots got their carrier training in stages, progressing from getting to the carrier to touch and go's to arrested landings. Didn't see anything specific about tactical training, but my thought is that it followed a similar track; some type of ground simulator, progressing to practice sorties then the real thing. This is how they rehearsed the attack on Pearl Harbor. They also gained experience conducting attacks in China and other Asian countries.
Ward l enjoy your videos very informative.the subject of carriers is vast and far wide but l have a special request could you discuss the operation of the Carrier Hornet and the air force role in ww2 concerning the flying of B25s off the deck of the carrier and the difficulties it presented to these brave airman and also the Navys role in that mission.
USS Ranger CV-61, V-3 Rangers Last Ride 91-93. My former self, my first ship I have from her a yellow shirts cans after the ship was dismantled I bought it from the eBay they sold items on there.
Watching this brought back some terrific memories. My USN enlisted years were spent as an Avionics Technician (AT). My primary duty station was at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA. My specialty was in UHF radio communications. While there I was assigned to SEAOPDET (Sea Operations Detachment). I was deployed several times on a total of three aircraft carriers: CV-43, CV-60, and CVN-71. I had the opportunity to see much of the world; from as far north to the Arctic Circle and as far south as the Caribbean Sea. I crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice and traveled from one end of the Mediterranean Sea to the other. We went through the English Channel twice also. As a civilian after my discharge I utilized my G.I Bill to further my education. I recieved my Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University. Would I do this all over again, hypothetically speaking, absolutely!
One of the biggest mistakes of my life was not accepting a RIO slot in 88. I had lost an opportunity to fly because my left eye had too many negative diopters of curve Even though I had 2020. I was so upset and at age 21 ignorant of what the RIO position could have been. I went on to fly for Delta connection, was hired by Air Tran, and Southwest but chose to stay in the Delta system because I was senior, a check airman and my wife’s job was key to our families overall income and family network. Because I was and am an FAA gold seal instructor, I have spent a great deal of time with young men and women helping them become professional pilots. Many have gone on to fly for the Navy and Air Force. Others are flying for UPS, Cathay Pacific, India Air, Egypt Air, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Delta, United,Jet Blue, Southwest etc. …… I highly highly encourage young men and women to look at the military. The opportunities are just tremendous and although the life for a family can be difficult, that can be mitigated by fully utilizing what the military has to offer in support and just being good parents and spouses and mentally deciding to make every new base or ship an adventure. It’s not easy, don’t get me wrong. It’s hard to uproot children every 2-3 years. It’s hard to build a support group that helps in time of emergency. But it can be done and done in a way that you look back on the journey and realize you have lives a remarkable life. I spent a total of 2 years active (sea college) and 3 years of reserves. The Navy paid for my college and flight training (private) for those few short years. I received the GI bill plus $10k+\- and while on active duty I saved $17,000. Seems like very little. But in 1990, tuition for 4 years at cal state was about $12000 for in state tuition. Flight training at Comair Aviation academy was $22,000 through CFII. So the baby was very very good to me.
Ward, my father who earned his wings in 1936 at Pensacola landed on all the old carriers mentioned in this video. He also was the first Marine aviator credited with shooting down a Japanese aircraft at Midway in March 1942. Colonel James L. Neefus, Navy Cross Award.
Your father was a great man.
Flying a Brewster Buffalo no less. 👍👍
Much respect.👍 God bless your old man.
Cool
My dad helped build those ships ooorah
i was on active duty 73-77 and stationed on a Mars class combat store ship. The Nimitz was operating in the VACAPES OP area during her pre-comissioning and we were preparing to conduct an early morning UNREP. As this was an early morning exercise and my UNREP station was on the bridge I had the opportunity to observe Nimitz on a southerly heading as we approaching from the west; the result watching the sun rise over the ship. The sight was awe inspiring in that for a few moments the ship blotted out the sun. This was a fantastic way to start your day.
Living in Norfolk, from a civilian’s point of view, there is nothing as inspiring as seeing and hearing a carrier’s air wing fly in to NAS Oceana and seeing 4 carriers in port at NAS Norfolk at one time.
I live in Perth Australia, and over the years there have been many visits by US Navy aircraft carriers, from the USS Saratoga (CV-3) in 1944 to the USS John C Stennis (CVN-74). From 1975 to today (2022) there have been 51 visits by 14 American aircraft carriers to the port of Fremantle. The aircraft carrier with the most visits to Fremantle was the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) with 10 visits, followed by USS Constellation (CV-64) with 9 visits, and it is estimated that over half a million Western Australians have visited these ships from 1975 to 2015, which was when the last US Carrier visited Western Australia...so far!
Ian- I was on Enterprise when she stopped at Perth in 83' Sometime in January that year. At that point we had been to Hawaii, Philippines and Mombasa, Kenya. Afterward more exotic ports. Perth was my favorite for the simple reason of how we were received. The experience was really apart from all our port of call. Looking back at it now I would describe it ass we were more like guests there as compared to being a source of income to the locals. 88 days from Kenya to Perth. All the holidays spent at sea. We were greeted with a beautiful ferry with a fully stocked bar with air conditioning. Public transit was free our first day. Stores offered generous discounts but no one chased us about to buy from them. Of all the adventure and beauty of the place we visited Pert/Freemantle was the one truly welcoming port of that cruise and that is what sets it apart for me. Hell I even read your news sometimes. LOL
@@jackforbes826 yes it is still like that even after September 11th 2001, when access to the ships at Fremantle Harbour by the Perth public was removed, but it's a rare event now that a US Navy battle group visit Fremantle, there has not been one here since April 2015...
Always check and make sure you have your wallet before they leave.
I was there in 84. USS KITTY HAWK 👍👍💪💪♥️♥️⚓⚓🇺🇲🇺🇲
I had to laugh at 22:45 when Mr. Goodspeed called the F-8 a "new generation" of fighter requiring a large deck carrier. In fact, the F-8 community operated for the most part from Essex class carriers and we always had two A-3 tankers onboard as well. Basically if you were a Crusader driver, you operated from a Twenty Seven Charlie and if you flew Phantoms you were a big-boat guy, at least when it came to fighting the Vietnam war. When it came to getting the clap in Sigonella, you'll have to ask someone from the East Coast.
Happy Birthday Naval Carrier Aviation! 100 yrs of heros.
Happy Birthday (US) Naval Carrier Aviation.
Hms Vindictive with its dozen planes was dispatched to Baltic Sea in 1919 which was an active war zone of baltic independence wars. Whether she made any difference as a ship is up to anyone's guess but the presence of royal navy itself proved to be decisive at sea. So its quite impressive that a carrier was in active war zone as early as 1919
I’ve been a carrier Sailor my whole career, it never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for this video! Subscribed!
I was in the U S Navy at NAS Oceana Va. Beach, Va. when the Nimitz was commissioned. I was a plane captain in VA-42, an A6 Intruder training squadron. I was luck to have worked on 3 aircraft carriers when we went on carrier quals. They were USS Independents, Lexington & the FDR. Exciting work on the flight deck during flight opps. especially at night. Dangerous too !!!!!!!!
This channel is simply a gold mine of great content.
Commander Carrol this was simply awesome. I served on the USS Independence, CV-62 from 74-78 and transferred to NAS Pensacola, Florida 78-81 and I love Naval aviation. When deciding to enlist when I was 17 I was deciding between the USN and the USAF and my father who retired from the Air Force when I was 14 thought the USN would offer more career opportunities so I join the Navy and later retired from the Navy. Do you remember what FTN means? Fun, Travel and go Navy!
I remember what FTN means... 😏
So when I was in the Army FTA really meant Fun, Travel and Go Army?
Wow, I'd have never guessed that, I always thought it meant something else.
Excellent history in less than 30 minutes! Well done.
Ward, I enjoy these videos that you do so much. You always have such wonderful guests on that have such a vast amount of knowledge on whatever subject that you have chosen. Thank you for all the knowledge that you disseminate to us all. And thank you to Rick Beatto for getting you to do this channel. The reason you are so successful is that you seem like the kind of guy that we would all like to sit down and have a beer with and listen to the stories that you have. Much love to you all and thank you for creating such a wonderful channel.
Thanks, Ibby.
Couldn't have said it better, myself, Ibby!
I have followed the transformation of carriers all my life. My oldest brother was in a torpedo bombing squadron stationed on the Badoeng Strait (CVL- 116) in the 46/47 era. I was determined to be part of that community and in 1963 got orders to FDR (CVA-42) in the engineering department. I was in thick of of it. Have followed the progress ever since. Had two cracker-jack skippers: VADM Miller and VADM Cagle to learn from. Miller was gracious enough to communicate with me and answer my many questions, years after his 85th birthday through almost the time of his passing. You fill in lots of blanks and flavor it with great stories and contemporary players. BZ
Very interesting bit of history.
A very conveniently-timed video, seeing as Ford will finally make her first cruise on Monday. We’ll finally get to see the culmination of a hundred years of constant learning and refining.
Great historical presentation! Thank you
With a last name like Goodspeed you are in the right line of work and personal interest
I was aboard the USS Newport News (CA-148) when we accompanied USS Enterprise (CVN-65) on her sea trials. She was incredibly fast on 2 reactors (and she had 8), they had a lot of civilians aboard, so they kept speed indicators covered. We heard in radio one that they had to reduce speed because the hull plates had begun to buckle. We operated with the Forestal in Vietnam, I was and am fascinated with carrier aviation. I was blessed to serve on 2 cruisers but never a flat top.
"Fair Winds and Following Seas"
Joined the U.S. Navy Reserve October 2, 1962. Served two years active duty, eight years regular USN, RM2(SS).
Ward, this one was Super Interesting. Great narrative by Hill. Really enjoyed this one. Thank you !
I had no idea about the Great Lakes pilot training. Thanks for the info!
Ford served aboard the USS Monterey. My father in law served on it also. Wish I had gotten more of his story abroad during the Typhoon off the Philippines.
Great job Ward love the history.⚓💪🇺🇸
Makes sense why there was was NAS Glenview, IL north of Chicago to work with the training carriers in Lake Michigan
That was a very good presentation Sir.
Thank You.
Ward - what an excellent presentation. Thanks for the great uploads. I love your channel.
I took a tour with the gentleman as a intro before starting NIFE at NAS Pensacola, amazing knowledge and its a great motivation to see the previous periods of naval aircraft.
Great article succinct and informative.
Love this channel ! My Dad was a part of this history...WWII combat air gunner and aviation radio man in Pacific. He said : " If your grandfather didn't tell me how to set the firing pins on my guns, you would be a PLANKTON in the ocean ! " I still have some of his flying gear, books, logbooks, and Morse code key. Of course, grandad was a WWI combat vet in France who began as an aviation mechanic.
The Langley looks really tall, frighteningly so, but I suppose at first everything was trial and error. It is pretty amazing that humanity went from barely being able to get off the ground with powered flight, to jets within fifty years.
I really enjoy history, so thanks Ward, for content like this!
Hard to believe how much they've evolved. From repurposing to the epitome of Naval power as a purpose built floating city extending power to the 4 corners of the globe. It's an impressive piece of equioment.
Hi Ward I am a new subscriber. Been an aviation fan for more years than I care to remember. Really love your information you give over, so so interesting. Thankyou for your work.
The big point of the Langley was to be a testbed...all the early Naval Aviation "blooper reel" footage comes from that first decade aboard that ship. But the lessons learned made Lexington and Saratoga highly capable units from the outset.
Thanks!
I worked on the flight deck in the early 80s. I went from playing cat and mouse on USS Enterprise with the Soviets at high sea to watching that wall come down within a span of 7 years. Looking back it al seems fantastical but I am sure that for all Navy aviation sailors it is like that for them regardless of what era they served it is like that. For me looking back at the WWII era through the cold war and today with the USS Gerald R Ford and a new Enterprise on its way... for as different as these periods are there is is still something very familiar about them from my perspective.
Jack were you on Big E for WEST-PAC 82-83? If so then we were shipmates, I was a 19 year old AN with VS-37. I snagged some pics of those BEAR visits while we were on Gonzo station…
And those AGI.s that tried to sidle near the BG!?!?!? Great intro for what would become my Naval Aviation career .
@@hawkeye681 I was ships company V-1 Div. We must have crossed paths more than once.
Very cool. I’m sure we did indeed pass each other on the roof! That was 40 years ago this fall when we set out from Alameda and the memories bring back a big smile, but I also remember the tragedies we suffered on that cruise.
Love the new DCS aspect of the channel. Outro still gives me chills.
Another video full of fascinating content.
Fact that the USN and Imperial Japanese Navy are the ones that ever fought carrier vs carrier battles in history
The Yorktown-Class was a phenomenal design. Unfortunately the lack of torpedo defenses proved to be fatal to Yorktown and Hornet, but the amount of punishment all three took was unreal… and they usually always stayed on station after the fact. Was a testament to their design and the men who crewed them.
Very informative presentation Ward! My grandfather served on the Ranger in WWII. He would tell me stories about them training young Navy fliers with the Wildcats during that timeframe. He left the Navy post war and was able to take his Navy training to become a Master Electrician and have a successful career doing so.
Mention of the SBD Dauntless reminded me that my father in law, not a air crew, flew missions as the rear gunner. Said if he had to post folks to missions he had to go to see what was happening.
Hey Mooch , I love watching your channel and appreciate your straight forward format . The only time I have been on an aircraft carrier was probably 50 years ago when Hornet came to Long Beach, Calif. keep up the great work.
A+++ Video!!! USS FORD will set sail today, Oct. 4th, 2022, on her maiden combat deployment!
I wasn’t an Airedale but I proudly served my time and spent my last 18 months at NAS Fallon. I loved watching the jets take off and land.
My father was a radioman on theLangley sometime time between 24. And 28.
Excellent video Mr. Carrol. Thanks! Keep the history and information coming!
Excellent presentation! Thanks Ward!
Fascinating history lecture. Well done! 🇺🇸 ⚓
USS Nimitz 2002-2005. She was my best sea tour! I learned how to be a Chief on the Nimitz! I was in the Weapons Dept. The best women and men I have ever had the privilege of working for and with. My Gunner (Toni M.) was my mentor. She got me across the finish line for being selected as a Chief.
Carrier sailor 1960-1963 (pre-Vietnam). Worked for CINCPACFLEET at FICPAC on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, HI. TDY aboard Ranger.
Great history lesson. And all done in less than 30 minutes. Mr. Goodspeed knows his stuff. Thanks, Ward for putting that together.
Very interesting to hear about the progression of the super carrier from the Yorktown that I served on. Great picture of the Apollo capsule recovery brought back memories of when we picked Apollo 8.
INCREDIBLE!!!! So much awesome information about Naval carrier aviation. Thanks for these great videos Mooch, can't get enough. 👍😊🎸
This presentation was really cool... When in the Marines, our unit (HMM 764) was detached for carrier ops onboard an LPH (10-Tripoli)... We were on that ship for a week, and it was unforgettable... Great training of how to maintain the aircraft and build-up things like tool kits, parts supplies and personal gear for every-day use... All neatly packed into embark box's and sea-bags... And of course, there were the 'General Quarters' drills while we were under-way!!! That was intense!!!Hot racking, in the sleeping areas, and of course the mess-deck where we had some really good chow!!! Now, I wish that I had extended my enlistment, to attain more experience on those type of things...And maybe get a start on a degree in engineering, through a college training course and a tuition assistance program. But, Still - I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to try it out... Definitely not an easy life, but a great way to see and experience some game changing skills and possibly a way to see another part of the world , maybe even become a 'shell-back' , and to present it on a resume after moving back into civilian life... Semper Fi....
I visited the midway carrier in San Diego. One of the first metal decked carriers for the United States I remember being told by the guide. Very impressive and that's a really old retired carrier. Interesting seeing the evolution of design over the years
Great abbreviated history there CDR Ward! I loved the photos, especially of the USS Forrestal and the F-9F from VF-51. My big brother served on Forrestal, and I decided to go Navy air. I served in VF-5. Awsome album.
In order ... assigned and deployed on board USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67/CV-67), USS Constellation (CV-64), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). Thirty years ... nine major deployments/workups ... both coasts, including a three month Caribbean jaunt on Ike and a 3 month NORPAC on Vinson. I am a retired carrier sailor!!! '72-'02.😎
Absolutely blows my mind.
HMS Argus 1918
Awesome show as always my friend. 👍🙂
Brilliant short history. Ward Carrol is such a professional to let Goodspeed have the floor. No wasted motion here.👍🏻
When I was in A.I.T. (yea Army) at Ft Eustis, I seen the Nimitz and I think the George Washington at Newport News shipyard. It was an awesome site to see, and my first time to see an aircraft carrier.
What sort of AIT training do they have there?
I have two 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation ball caps.
Now if I could find a 100th anniversary of the US carriers caps I would add those to my collection.
Great presentation. That mirror image at 25:00 is awesome. I hope you do a future episode about the challenges carrier warfare is facing given emerging technologies like stealth and unmanned weapons. They are still an awesome tool for force projection, although I'd be curious to see how they'd fare with a modern version of the old 20's-30's fleet problems.
Excellent to hear this history Ward, thank you! A nation that can field a fightn' navy, to protect their commerce and project the power forward, is arguably at least at the beginning of a "great power" status.
Nice, very good information. GOOD HISTORY.
Great video! I hope people actually appreciate that it came from a Naval aviator and not someone who never served!
I had the honor of serving on the USS Nimitz she was a hell of a ship.
I did the USS Saratoga tour in San Diego, at the end I asked the former Captain, "any plans to take her out," to which he said "it would take too much money," causing a chuckle amongst the 20ish of us on the bridge.
I never would think that the Navy send their pilot and their carriers to Lake Michigan! How about old Navy air station smacked in middle of Ottumwa, Iowa! When I worked at VA , I drive past it everyday I can see the hangers that looked like it came fro the Navy! I was surprised when somebody told me about it.
I was working in port orchard WA. Putting in new water lines in the state park there and got to see the Nimitz close up going threw the channel there and if you have never seen one close up they are enormous and you must see one.
Thank you Hill, and thank you Mooch 🤙
Ward this channel is absolutely awesome,, keep up the outstanding work as am posting it to very popular Facebook groups around the naval & aviation circuit sir 🇺🇸👍
My ship, USS Carl Vinson CVN70, 87-90, Air Department, CVW-15
@Ward Carroll can you do a reaction video on Eric "Winkle" Brown? The guy is a legend and I feel you would do him justice. His record for traps on a carrier is likely never to be broken.
CAPT Brown was the greatest of all test pilots. And the Grandmaster of Carrier Suitability testing...if it would fit, he could get it aboard.
@@Hammerli280 I grew up and was from the same area as Marion Carl. I heard a story about Winkle Brown and Marion Carl getting in a dogfight in F8F Bearcats over Norfolk. While Brown was in the states on an exchange program. I woulda paid to see that.
@@mikebrase5161 I can't speak to Norfolk, but they were both at Pax River doing test work. IIRC, Brown did two exchange tours at Pax.
And his unbeaten record of 487 different types of aircraft flown, including Worlds first jet landing on a Carrier.
@@Hammerli280 I heard the story second or third hand at a VFW from some of the old timers. You are probably right about Pax river.
Fun to see whom many of the Naval Air Stations and airfields were named after. Plus the original configuration of the Lady Lex, Sara and Ranger.
Hey Ward, I'm the aviation curator at Intrepid. Would love to welcome you aboard next time you are in NYC.
You’re on, Eric.
Congrats Ward. I hope you will join me in celebrating the 247 years of the surface Navy on the 13th. 😉😅
I remember seeing the former USS CABOT CVL28 moored in Rota Spain. Most of my sea duty was onboard LPH and LHD carriers in the Med. Sad thing is most of the boats and carriers I have the honor of serving on are now gone.
You can still visit the Oriskany if you dive, artificial reef near Pensacola
My father-in-law was a machinist mate aboard the Oriskany either right before or right after Bridges at Toko-Ri was filmed on it. He shot hours of 8mm film in his off time of the jets (Panthers or Cougars) during flight ops.
I really need to convince my mother-in-law to let me convert these to digital format before something happens to the films.
If you become a Patron on Wards channel you can opine to him live. I know that the Brit’s were responsible for a lot of the development of several innovative ideas but most of the time the US Navy improved on those concepts and ideas. Given the time limits I think Hill covered the subject well. Diving into each area would take a lot more time than most people are willing to devote.
Sparky
@@cvr527
Name the advancements they had before everyone else.
The Japanese specially modified torpedoes to use in shallow water for the intention of sneak attacking someone in a port who wasn't on war footing and for the next 80 years everyone claims they were "ahead of everyone else", no they weren't.
Their naval architecture, aircraft design and anything else you can name wasn't ahead of anyone.
The Zero was a false God, aircraft design 101, they traded the weight needed for survivability features to get performance numbers they wanted which turned out badly everytime one got hosed down with .50 cal fire.
Their ships, especially their aircraft carriers, were horribly designed with about the same survivability as the Zero, no real fire fighting capability, no safety or survivability designed into the way the aviation fuel was handled on those carriers, they might as well have had guy's carrying around buckets full of avgas in the middle of a battle.
Just because there were some Japanese admirals who championed aircraft carriers before WW2 doesn't mean anything, just like the US and everyone else's navy they had certain admirals who believed in aircraft carriers and certain one's who believed in battleships, if they were so much more advanced and forward thinking than everyone else they'd have never wasted their time and resources building the Yamato and those other massive battleships that didn't do a thing during the war except give the US Navy something to sink, they'd have built 3 or 4 carriers complete with aircraft with the same resources it took to build each one of those battleships if they were that forward thinking.
They weren't ahead of anyone, looking at their naval aircraft and ship designs they weren't ahead of anyone.
I agree that the Japanese had aircraft carriers (AC) very early on but they were an example of how not to build a AC. Lots of flawed decisions made in the construction lead to those AC loss fairly early on in war because of their almost noexistant damage control once they received a few bombs hits. Read "Shattered Sword" an excellent discussion on carrier development on both sides of the pacific as well as the turning point of the war in the pacific at the Battle of Midway when they lost 4 carriers!
I really like your broad range of topics related to Naval aviation that you cover. And good to see the aerial map of NAS Pensacola in the background of this video.
Served aboard the The Blue Ghost (USS Lexington) 85-88 V-2 Arresting Gear. I was working Pri-Fly the day we made history as the first carrier with 450,000 traps. Captain and Division Officers alike had a ceremony of the event. Even a chocolate cake with 450,000 TRAPS written on top in icing.
Great video. Thanks.
Outstanding presentation my Mr. Goodspeed. I've only been on two carriers, both museum ships (Intrepid and Yorktown), and I am continually amazed with the abilities of Naval Aviation to project force....and this is from a former USAF aircrewman. Of course, if we could build a ship with a 10,000 foot runway, we could do it too.😄
Outstanding! Marine Corps.
while I remember having encountered the point concerning ijn pilots flying 'til they were dead, it raises a question about ijn training. did the newly minted fliers get tactical instruction from their squadron seniors while on board? as for usa training, there is still the point about a pilot's first five missions and the survival rate.
Hey Mike, ijn pilots got their carrier training in stages, progressing from getting to the carrier to touch and go's to arrested landings. Didn't see anything specific about tactical training, but my thought is that it followed a similar track; some type of ground simulator, progressing to practice sorties then the real thing. This is how they rehearsed the attack on Pearl Harbor. They also gained experience conducting attacks in China and other Asian countries.
Ward l enjoy your videos very informative.the subject of carriers is vast and far wide but l have a special request could you discuss the operation of the Carrier Hornet and the air force role
in ww2 concerning the flying of B25s off the deck of the carrier and the difficulties it presented to these brave airman and also the Navys role in that mission.
Great stuff!!
3 F-14 squadrons just glad I got a chance to be something so great 👍
24:53 that is a really cool photo to bad it did work as a thumbnail
Great episode!!
I was active USAF 79-83 I was in maintenance on the B52G &H model!!
USS Ranger CV-61, V-3 Rangers Last Ride 91-93. My former self, my first ship I have from her a yellow shirts cans after the ship was dismantled I bought it from the eBay they sold items on there.
Fascinating!
I've always wondered who made the voice for Steven Hawking! Turns out it was Hill Goodspeed!
Watching this brought back some terrific memories. My USN enlisted years were spent as an Avionics Technician (AT). My primary duty station was at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, VA. My specialty was in UHF radio communications. While there I was assigned to SEAOPDET (Sea Operations Detachment). I was deployed several times on a total of three aircraft carriers: CV-43, CV-60, and CVN-71. I had the opportunity to see much of the world; from as far north to the Arctic Circle and as far south as the Caribbean Sea. I crossed the Atlantic Ocean twice and traveled from one end of the Mediterranean Sea to the other. We went through the English Channel twice also. As a civilian after my discharge I utilized my G.I Bill to further my education. I recieved my Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University. Would I do this all over again, hypothetically speaking, absolutely!
Excellent
One of the biggest mistakes of my life was not accepting a RIO slot in 88. I had lost an opportunity to fly because my left eye had too many negative diopters of curve Even though I had 2020. I was so upset and at age 21 ignorant of what the RIO position could have been.
I went on to fly for Delta connection, was hired by Air Tran, and Southwest but chose to stay in the Delta system because I was senior, a check airman and my wife’s job was key to our families overall income and family network.
Because I was and am an FAA gold seal instructor, I have spent a great deal of time with young men and women helping them become professional pilots. Many have gone on to fly for the Navy and Air Force. Others are flying for UPS, Cathay Pacific, India Air, Egypt Air, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Delta, United,Jet Blue, Southwest etc. ……
I highly highly encourage young men and women to look at the military. The opportunities are just tremendous and although the life for a family can be difficult, that can be mitigated by fully utilizing what the military has to offer in support and just being good parents and spouses and mentally deciding to make every new base or ship an adventure. It’s not easy, don’t get me wrong. It’s hard to uproot children every 2-3 years. It’s hard to build a support group that helps in time of emergency. But it can be done and done in a way that you look back on the journey and realize you have lives a remarkable life.
I spent a total of 2 years active (sea college) and 3 years of reserves. The Navy paid for my college and flight training (private) for those few short years. I received the GI bill plus $10k+\- and while on active duty I saved $17,000. Seems like very little. But in 1990, tuition for 4 years at cal state was about $12000 for in state tuition. Flight training at Comair Aviation academy was $22,000 through CFII.
So the baby was very very good to me.
Hea commander can you do a vid on the development of the catapult