Carrier Landing Basics

[MrZippy]

@Pat

You're thinking of the "Blackshoe" bosun's mate. They are the paint scrapers, pipe blowers, etc. The ABs are like what Mike described about the flight deck refueling, handling, etc. The flight deck comes to a halt without those guys!

[heywooood]

with all the real world issues to be serious about, this can hardly qualify...

as to the catapulting of SBD's I capitulate. Fine - they were catapulted all the time - probably not a single one ever flew itself off the deck of a carrier..
but I don't see one with a launch bar ever being cat shot off a Nimitz class except in FSX by someone who DOES have a sense of humor.

is that better? Does that lower the temperature in here a bit? FFS

[Mike71]

Mike, I meant no offense.
It's a running joke in the Corps that among the Navy Rates, the AB's are the guys that scrape paint, tweet whistles, tie knots, and coil ropes. Not extremely intelligence intensive. Like the Marine 0311's. Basic grunts. The guys that run at machine gun nests. You know.
Just a joke, like the briefing we got about the flight deck from an old Navy Chief. He told us "If you start getting sucked into a jet's intake, do everything you can to FOD out the engine. Throw any useless things you can into it. Your cranial, float coat, a bosun's mate, y'know, useless items..."


It's very versatile, as well. Sling loads for helicopters is an example. You can have all kinds of things to pick up and drop. Ahem...set down again. Without the whole "saved flight" set up it used to require to sling loads under helicopters. Really nice to be able to put a load in front of you to go pick up and carry someplace...

Have fun, all!
Pat☺

Pat -I took no offense, knew you were joking - just wanted to make sure which Bos'ns you were talking about! But, most Marines can also appreciate that assault boat coxswains are "Blackshoe" Boatswains Mates per their MOS, although sometimes they are Machinist's Mates, etc. that can get qualified.