Picture of the day

[Sharps '74]

Truly, the only real 'innocents' in war are the animals.

Dead horses and wrecked vehicles and equipment of a German convoy are strewn along the road in the vicinity of Lug, Germany, after an attack from US artillery. The Germans were trying to escape encirclement by the 3rd and 7th Armies.

 

[Gibbs505]

A Japanese ship sinking, seen from USS Seawolf’s periscope, as the result of a torpedo attack, fall 1942.

 

[Gibbs505]

 

[CV32]

A Japanese ship sinking, seen from USS Seawolf’s periscope, as the result of a torpedo attack, fall 1942.

The good fortune of a Mark 14 torpedo without a faulty detonator.

 

[Gibbs505]

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS George H.W. Bush, USS Enterprise, USS Bataan, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Harry S. Truman, USS Wasp, and USS Kearsarge and the Naval Station Norfolk.

 

[grelmar]

And not an aircraft carrier, but something even smaller: the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD-5).

Correct. However, in service role, arguably more of a "pocket carrier" than an AAS. It can spit out a few LCAC's, but the primary role is to provide CAS for the guys on the beach.

A tightly packed, floating can of "Problem? Solved."

 

[Sharps '74]

"... they shall not grow weary nor the years condemn ...."

 

[bjmurata]

One of the most powerful images I've seen here in a long time.

 

[blazinbilly]

That brought a tear to my eye great post

 

[fat tony]

 

[XRCD011]

Great pic, thanks for posting.

 

[deerhunter365]

All I see is a cat..

 

[Gibbs505]

Great pic, thanks for posting.

All are welcome.

 

[purple]

Lost my old pal Lou last spring at age 93. He was a tail gunner on a Halifax and did 33 missions over Europe and was wounded by flak in the process. He was a keen aviation enthusiast to the end and got his last ride in the Commemorative Air Force's B-17 Sentimental Journey (a well deserved freebie) a couple of years ago. He used to go out to Nanton, AB whenever possible to hear the 4 Merlins fire up on their Lancaster.

I also knew his best pal and the navigator on his crew who's family homestead was next to ours in Saskatchewan.

 

[bearhunter]

Those are the ghosts that haunt our dreams. The lost friends and comrades. Even the most desperate, stressful times go away but not the ghosts of our brethren. Even their cause for passing fades but not their souls because they show them to each other and they are indelibly imprinted in our psyches.

So much truth in that photo.

Good on the old boy for living as long and well as he possibly could. It means their passing wasn't a total waste. What more can we ask for????

 

[CV32]

Correct. However, in service role, arguably more of a "pocket carrier" than an AAS. It can spit out a few LCAC's, but the primary role is to provide CAS for the guys on the beach. A tightly packed, floating can of "Problem? Solved."

While its role is aviation centric, describing it as a 'pocket carrier' is a bit too ambitious. It can carry only STOVL fixed wing aircraft and helicopters, most of which are intended to carry troops ashore (except in the sea control role), carries only a limited amount of ordnance in its magazines, and cannot generate anywhere near the number and rate of sorties as an actual aircraft carrier. In part because its internal volume is taken up in large part by the well deck (for those three LCACs) and vehicle decks, ramps and elevators.

 

[fingers284]

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS George H.W. Bush, USS Enterprise, USS Bataan, USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Harry S. Truman, USS Wasp, and USS Kearsarge and the Naval Station Norfolk.

wow, 8 crew contingents for the size of those crafts all turned loose at the same time on Norfolk= many happy "business women".

 

[stevebc]

One of the most powerful images I've seen here in a long time.

Agreed.

 

[Dark Alley Dan]

Here's a real one-off - the Italian Semovente da 149/40 M42.

The Italians ran the prototype through trials. It looked promising. They were moving toward putting it into production when the government of the day downed tools and surrendered to the Allies.

She ended up at Aberdeen in the US in a very sad state.

Some idjit has stolen the tracks. Wasn't always that bad. Here it is shortly after installation wearing her entirely fictional Balkenkreuz:

 

[diopter]

Vought XF8U-3 Crusader III

The F8U-3 program was canceled with five aircraft built. Three aircraft flew during the test program, and, along with two other airframes, were transferred to NASA for atmospheric testing, as the Crusader III was capable of flying above 95% of the Earth's atmosphere. NASA pilots flying at NAS Patuxent River routinely intercepted and defeated U.S. Navy Phantom IIs in mock dogfights, until complaints from the Navy put an end to the harassment.[6]

All of the Crusader IIIs were later scrapped.
Closest thing that flew that looks like a Goblin shark.