[baboon6]

Not sure if these should be in this section or history, but here goes. The video clip is of Phantoms and Buccaneers landing on HMS Ark Royal c.1976. It is apparently an excerpt from a very popular 1970s documentary on Ark Royal called Sailor. Ark Royal (IV) was the RN's last fixed-wing carrier and was retired in 1978.

http://www.dailymoti...oyal-traps_tech

The audio clip is made up of recordings from the intercom system on the Type 42 destroyer HMS Glasgow, from the day she was hit by a bomb during the Falklands War. Luckily the bomb did not explode and went through one side of the ship and out the other. Glasgow was however out of action for the remainder of the war and returned to the UK for repairs.

http://ia310809.us.a...Bombed_64kb.mp3

[shep854]

That video was great! Thanks, Baboon! Planting a Phantom on a small British carrier is NOT for the faint of heart.

[Colin]

Golly good old man! that's a cracker of a video!

[shep854]

shep854, on Mon 4 May 2009 1936, said:

That video was great! Thanks, Baboon! Planting a Phantom on a small British carrier is NOT for the faint of heart.

Upon reflection, riding behind a nervous pilot trying to make his first trap on a small Brit carrier can't be very happy-making either. :blink:

[Tony Williams]

I had some fun a few years back "playing" with the 1970s RN. This article details the principal warships and their equipment which existed in that time period, then suggests some might-have-beens.

This post has been edited by Tony Williams: 05 May 2009 - 2116 PM

[Stuart Galbraith]

I remember watching the show the first time round. Spent many happy hours building model Ark Royals out of old Jaffa cake boxes. I think its where the modelling bug (as well as the belly) comes from. :)

[RETAC21]

baboon6, on Mon 4 May 2009 1437, said:

Not sure if these should be in this section or history, but here goes. The video clip is of Phantoms and Buccaneers landing on HMS Ark Royal c.1976. It is apparently an excerpt from a very popular 1970s documentary on Ark Royal called Sailor. Ark Royal (IV) was the RN's last fixed-wing carrier and was retired in 1978.

[

To be fair and since nobody has said anything, the Sea Harrier is the last fixed wing carrier-capable aircraft. :blink:

[baboon6]

RETAC21, on Wed 6 May 2009 0632, said:

To be fair and since nobody has said anything, the Sea Harrier is the last fixed wing carrier-capable aircraft. :blink:

Okay, Ark Royal was the last CTOL carrier then!

[baboon6]

Tony Williams, on Tue 5 May 2009 2115, said:

I had some fun a few years back "playing" with the 1970s RN. This article details the principal warships and their equipment which existed in that time period, then suggests some might-have-beens.

Thanks, I was looking for that article on my hard drive the other day but couldn't find it and couldn't remember where I had saved it from!

I know this question has been asked many times before on various forums but why did the RN keep Ark Royal in service instead of Eagle? Eagle was apparently in much better condition and still had defensive armament (4x2 4.5-inch mounts and 6 Seacat launchers); Ark Royal's armament had been removed during a refit in the 60s. Would the rest of Eagle's armament have had to be removed to enable her to operate Phantoms?

If you go back just a few years from 1970, around 1964-66, the RN had quite a formidable carrier force, with Eagle, Ark Royal, Victorious and Hermes in the strike role (with Sea Vixens and Buccaneers-landing them on Hermes must have been interesting- plus Wessex ASW helos and Gannet AEW aircraft) and Albion and Bulwark as commando carriers (each capable of carrying a RM Commando and a squadron of Whirlwind or Wessex helicopters to take the troops ashore).

http://www.btinterne...avy/rn-cv3.html

EDIT: there was also Centaur for part of that period (with Sea Vixen, Gannet and Wessex).

This post has been edited by baboon6: 06 May 2009 - 0801 AM

[baboon6]

Buccaneer launching from Eagle, 1966- how do like that angle of attack!

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=NOKKah5mTTE

Aircraft from Ark Royal at Vieques weapons range, Puerto Rico, 1976

http://www.youtube.c...mN_jsBxVt0&NR=1

[RETAC21]

baboon6, on Wed 6 May 2009 1256, said:

Thanks, I was looking for that article on my hard drive the other day but couldn't find it and couldn't remember where I had saved it from!

I know this question has been asked many times before on various forums but why did the RN keep Ark Royal in service instead of Eagle? Eagle was apparently in much better condition and still had defensive armament (4x2 4.5-inch mounts and 6 Seacat launchers); Ark Royal's armament had been removed during a refit in the 60s. Would the rest of Eagle's armament have had to be removed to enable her to operate Phantoms?

If you go back just a few years from 1970, around 1964-66, the RN had quite a formidable carrier force, with Eagle, Ark Royal, Victorious and Hermes in the strike role (with Sea Vixens and Buccaneers-landing them on Hermes must have been interesting- plus Wessex ASW helos and Gannet AEW aircraft) and Albion and Bulwark as commando carriers (each capable of carrying a RM Commando and a squadron of Whirlwind or Wessex helicopters to take the troops ashore).

http://www.btinterne...avy/rn-cv3.html

EDIT: there was also Centaur for part of that period (with Sea Vixen, Gannet and Wessex).

IIRC Ark was modernised to take the Phantom and funds were cut by the time Eagle's turn was up, so she was written off. Although on paper and on the looks side, they looked great, it was a paper tiger force, hampered by smaller than optimal carriers and technology that was leaping ahead, and IMO the RN did a diservice to itself fighting with the RAF over TSR.2 and ensuring no money was available for either TSR.2 or new carriers, but this last may have been killed by Polaris.

[Argus]

Take a look at the Phantom flyby at about 4:14, is it actually ripple firing SNEB's (or whatever)?

http://www.youtube.c...mN_jsBxVt0&NR=1

shane

[baboon6]

RETAC21, on Wed 6 May 2009 0943, said:

IIRC Ark was modernised to take the Phantom and funds were cut by the time Eagle's turn was up, so she was written off. Although on paper and on the looks side, they looked great, it was a paper tiger force, hampered by smaller than optimal carriers and technology that was leaping ahead, and IMO the RN did a diservice to itself fighting with the RAF over TSR.2 and ensuring no money was available for either TSR.2 or new carriers, but this last may have been killed by Polaris.

True, there were some rather silly mistakes and pointless infighting, as well as the cuts by the Labour government, but it was still a force second only to the US Navy, and far ahead of anyone else.

[AlexW]

<shameless self promotion>

Quote

http://www.btinterne...avy/rn-cv3.html

An excellent source of information.
</shameless self promotion>

RETAC21, on Wed 6 May 2009 1543, said:

IIRC Ark was modernised to take the Phantom and funds were cut by the time Eagle's turn was up, so she was written off.

That's pretty much the reason behind it. Ark was due for a refit but Eagle had just been through one just before the Phantom decision was made. If they'd have updated Eagle instead of Ark they would have had to either do without a large carrier for a couple of years or do a minor refit on Ark (no Phantoms - just to keep it going) first.

[rmgill]

Bloody good videos there man.

Really sad we don't see that from the UK any more.

[rmgill]

baboon6, on Wed 6 May 2009 1159, said:

True, there were some rather silly mistakes and pointless infighting, as well as the cuts by the Labour government, but it was still a force second only to the US Navy, and far ahead of anyone else.

And it's all more or less gone at this point. :(

[shep854]

baboon6, on Wed 6 May 2009 0933, said:

Buccaneer launching from Eagle, 1966- how do like that angle of attack!

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=NOKKah5mTTE

The Flatiron had a tailwheel for that reason.

Also, the beards on some of the crew are startling for an American! :o

[rmgill]

shep854, on Thu 7 May 2009 0850, said:

The Flatiron had a tailwheel for that reason.

Also, the beards on some of the crew are startling for an American! :o

Senior enlisted onboard US Navy Ships (and I think officers) could wear beards for a time, certainly back in the 80s. Zumwalt allowed that but a later admiral put a stop to it.

[shep854]

rmgill, on Thu 7 May 2009 0822, said:

Senior enlisted onboard US Navy Ships (and I think officers) could wear beards for a time, certainly back in the 80s. Zumwalt allowed that but a later admiral put a stop to it.

I read somewhere that while beards were permitted in the USN, they had to be full-grown; the "in-process" phase where it looked thin and scraggly was a no-go. For all practical purposes, the sailor that wanted a beard had to "disappear" until it was full. This sounds like a " back-door"prohibition, making growing one more trouble than it was worth.

Even then, I'm sure a lot of officers and CPOs were able to express disapproval while officially allowing beards; kind of like the hassle one can get carrying an exposed sidearm in an official "open-carry" jurisdiction.

This post has been edited by shep854: 07 May 2009 - 1100 AM

[RETAC21]

baboon6, on Mon 4 May 2009 1437, said:

Not sure if these should be in this section or history, but here goes. The video clip is of Phantoms and Buccaneers landing on HMS Ark Royal c.1976. It is apparently an excerpt from a very popular 1970s documentary on Ark Royal called Sailor. Ark Royal (IV) was the RN's last fixed-wing carrier and was retired in 1978.

http://www.dailymoti...oyal-traps_tech

Great video although the guy that went through 4 bolters and a wave-off wouldn't like to be reminded...