Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Grumman TBF Avenger after it ditched following a catapult mishap on board the USS Bataan - 29 March 13, 1944


3 comments:

  1. That aircraft was notorious as a death trap that sank like a stone after ditching. G.Bush I ditched two of them in 1944 after being shot up on bombing runs. He lost both crews. They were almost impossible for the gunners to escape from with a chute on or in the water.---Ray

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  2. We lost a lot of good men in that war - not all at enemy hands. Stuff broke in these operational environments. It's no different today. We lose military people all the time to accidents. The classic example is the deck of an aircraft carrier - one of the most dangerous work environments on the planet.

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  3. Called a "cold cat shot" which regularly happened with hydraulic cats. Later cats (and today')were steam powered.

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