Continuation of what the USS Hornet was doing today in 1942! GETTING THINGS READY TO FLY THE BOMBERS OFF On deck, in the rough and rainy seas, it was like organized chaos. Army airmen were scurrying to get what they wanted into their B-4 Bags and make their last trip up to the flight deck and into their planes. Hornet crewmen were handling the logistical needs of getting the planes ready to go. They were stripping covers from engines and turrets and unlashing the tie-downs. The planes were being pushed into position for the take-off plan. Fuel tanks were topped up on the planes and ten five-gallon cans were filled and put aboard each plane. The flight crew could manage to transfer the fuel into the bomb bay tanks added to each B-25. With takeoff a day earlier than planned, the planes would have farther to fly and need more fuel. The ship’s navigator and Steve Jurika had final a session orienting the navigators with their current position and covering the courses to their targets. Each plane got a pack of sandwiches from the ship’s gallery and each flight crew member got two bottles of navy rye. Mitscher headed the Hornet into the wind and had his chief engineer push the boilers and throttles to the max. They were looking at a 25 knot ship speed into a 25 knot wind in violently stormy, rainy seas. Come join us for our Living Ship Day aboard the USS Hornet Museum tomorrow 10am-5pm!
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 20:30:00 +0000
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