Aircraft Carrier, Blimp and Odd Planes in Golden Gate

[jon koss]

Anyone notice anything unusual about the planes on the deck of this carrier? I had this photo for a while before the planes struck me!

Jon

[zsas]

Tail sections recessed?

[mike c]

They look like PBY's

[jon koss]

Yeah, that's what I thought too. Did they normally fly from the decks of carriers?

J

They look like PBY's

[Jeff Kubach]

I don't see the tail sections either, I wonder what happen?

Jeff

[mike c]

They have retractable wheels, If Doolittle could take off from a carrier with a B-25 bomber (I think it was a B-25) maybe the Catalina can also.
If they did not have enough air speed at the end of the Carrier at least they could float!
Mike

[Ken Nadvornick]

If Doolittle could take off from a carrier with a B-25 bomber (I think it was a B-25)...

Yes indeed, those were B-25Bs. And he did it in only 467 feet of deck length.

Last week I visited Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection of restored military aircraft at Paine Field in Everett, Washington.

I stood for the longest time right next to his magnificently restored B-25J - set up in low-level attack configuration - and tried hard to imagine just how the hell Doolittle was able to get one of those airborne off of a pitching carrier deck in only 467 feet. Freaking amazing.

[Off-topic photo opportunity note...]

For those reading who may be in the Puget Sound region on Saturday, September 24, 2011 between 12:00-1:00pm, the FHC pilots are going to team up with the nearby Historic Flight Foundation and put both collection's B-25s in the air together. The HFF's is a B-25D named Grumpy.

There aren't too many opportunities anymore these days to see a pair of operational B-25 Mitchell heavy bombers flying formations together. I'll be there...*

Ken

*If you are too, look for a tall fellow with a black baseball cap, about 6' 5" and 225 lbs., and carrying a Nikon F2 with MD2/MB1 motor drive. There sure won't be more than one of those at the same event! Come on over and say hi.

[Wade D]

They are PBY's. Possibly being ferried home from the war. Many aircraft carriers steamed for home with empty decks and hangars. The planes were pushed over the side in the open sea. No ceremony, just disposed of. No longer needed for the war effort. Most of the WW2 planes still flying were used stateside for training. Some saw action in Korea before the F-86 Sabre jets took over. A single Corsair was credited with shooting down 2 enemy Mig 15 jets.

[mike c]

Love to see those B-25 flying in formation.
I can see some of the tails of the PBY's, it could be the effect of a long lens compacting everything that makes them seem tail less in the photo.

[vpwphoto]

Those are PBY's engines close to center and very close together. No expert here, but PBY's had wheels and I suppose could catapult, they took off slow figure a head-wind. Landing on carier?!?! Anyway thanks for sharing.
I drink coffee with a WWII Navy Photographer he shot some the "famous" footage realeased in Time Life Video... hard carrier landing of a ??? that shatters and burst into flames... (not the Midway stuff) he was in the Atlantic. Anyway, he was stunned when he saw his video (footage) in the info-mercial, he said it was on of the scariest moments he ever had, but in the end he said he had the time of his life serving this nation.