Naval Craft (past & present)

[Texas Lawdog]

I guess that I enjoyed the tour of the Nautilus. I remember reading about it in the Weekly Reader at school. This would have been about 54 or 55. It was the first atomic powered Sub.

[Blair]

pe,

Which CVE was your Dad on?

The info I have on the Lexington, it got the CVT-16 designation in 1969. Then was re-designated to ACT-16 in 1978. I don't know what the ACT designation stands for. It might be just another designation for pretty much the same mission?
Active duty carriers generally wont have much in the way of displays on board when they are in their home ports.
The aircraft are flown on and off the ship while they are at sea.
My best,
 Blair

[pony express]

He served on the Siboney, CVE112. Early 50's, I believe 2 cruises to Europe and Mediterranean. I have one of the cruise books, and some pictures , if I ever get time I may scan and post some here.

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[Texas Lawdog]

I have toured the only surviving Liberty ship at San Francisco too.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I recall watching the launching of a Liberty Ship of sorts that my Dad helped build. I could barely look over the railing on Dallas Road facing Ogden Point in Victoria.

Having been raised in a port city with a naval base I have visited quite a few ships of several nations. The most interesting was the light cruiser HMCS Ontario. (1945-1958) It was not the ship that was interesting but the unlocked small arms racked about the ship, especially the nice & shiny Lanchester machine carbines!

Did I take one down and grope it a bit?

[Blair]

pe,

The CVE's have a very important history that needs to be told. Not much can be found out about then, and I have to admit I have not looked to see what maybe out there now.

TL,

In the mid to late '60's there were a number of old Liberty Ship still around.
Those that I can remember were converted into surveillance vessels. (Naval Intel, and CIA types of spying)
One, the "Vanguard", was out of Port Canaveral, FL. and was used down range from the Cape by NASA during Space Launches.
Port Canaveral also had a Sub Base where the Cruses Ship Terminals are today. All of this was very hush-hush during the time period.
My Dad was the Line Maintenance Chief at Patrice  AFB, south of Cocoa Beach, that made modifications to the C-135's to get the Eye-in-the-Sky view the land and sea had for a three dimensional look at things.
My best,
 Blair

[Major 2]

CVE, is that what they called Jeep Carriers in WWII ?

Seems to me, I recall John Wayne, in his roll in Wings of Eagles ( Spig Wead ) the concept is scripted.
I never knew that much about them , other than their roll in the Pacific Theater.

[Blair]

Major 2,

Yes, the "E" stands for "Escort".
They carried replacement aircraft and parts for the fleet carriers and for land based Marian Aviators as they were needed.
They also flew air cover for their respective Fleet Groups and anti Sup War fare (ASW) Missions.
Many were flat top converted Liberty Ships equipped with steam turbine engines to allow them to run with the fast attack fleets.
My best,
 Blair

[Major 2]

Thanks Blair...I take it they are all scrapped ? 

[Arcey]

The Siboney, April 1951. Honestly, before my time.



Many more images of the ship are here:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/112.htm

Info on about anything including escort carriers:

http://www.navsource.org/

Another excellent site:

http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/

That one has images of the Wisconsin moving into its present resting place 14 years ago, some taken by someone known 'n loved on this very board.

[pony express]

I expect they are all scrapped. Siboney was decommissioned in the 50's and scrapped in the early 70's.  One of their main missions was anti sub warfare, and the navy wanted to move up to a twin engine plane for that role. Dad says they did try operating them off his carrier, and I have some of his pictures of the results. One the one cruise I have the book for, they were operating Grumman Guardians, they had to operate in pairs, one carried all the sensing equipment and the other had depth charges. Hence the desire to move up to a twin engine plane. I have read that when they replaced the Guardians with the Grumman S-2 Tracker, they based them on larger carriers(I think maybe Essex Class) That was pretty much the end for the CVE carriers.

Edit: After some internet searching, seems that all the later Commencement bay class CVEs, of which Siboney was one, had been scrapped by the early 70's. The last two in service were converted for use during Vietnam as aircraft transports.

[SimmerinLightning]

Carrier Enterprise anchor put on Abraham Lincoln
The Associated Press
© October 3, 2014
NEWPORT NEWS
An anchor from the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has been transferred to the carrier Abraham Lincoln.
Newport News Shipbuilding says an anchor from the Enterprise was recently installed on the Lincoln.
The shipyard is in the process of inactivating the Enterprise and overhauling the Lincoln.
During the Lincoln's overhaul, inspectors noticed that one of the Lincoln's two anchors needed to be replaced. So shipbuilders swapped out one of the Lincoln's anchors for one of the Enterprise's.
The anchor was cast in 1962 and weighs 30 tons. The shipyard says is an exact twin of the younger Lincoln's anchor.
The Lincoln's overhaul is about 45 percent complete and on track for delivery in 2016.

I realize this is a rather old post, but any idea what was wrong with the anchor? Not a lot of moving parts there, basically just a big chunk of steel. What could be so wrong that it needed replaced by a much older one? Could the fifty-year-old one really have been in such better condition?
 I tried doing a search, but every article I found just talks about the swapping of the anchors and doesn't give a reason beyond "needing replaced".

[Arcey]

No idea, Sim.

All I can think of is a crack somewhere in it that could cause the loss of the anchor or part of the anchor upon failure.

Never fret an old question here. Much of the freakin' subject is about old.

[Major 2]

"The shipyard says is an exact twin of the younger Lincoln's anchor"

well that blows my 'assumption out of the water....   
Figured the liberal Obama-mights, thought it was lighter and would save nautical MPG of nuke fuel     
That, or the swap was on page 2,895,465 of the Affordable I don't Care how much it costs Act and it was time to phase it in...

Never fret an old question here. Much of the freakin' subject is about old.
So are the posters 

[Lucky Irish Tom]

Shipyard is in a bad part of town, maybe one of the street thugs ( don't got no gangs around here) stole it.

Yes I am one of them old things too!

[Four-Eyed Buck]

I am, too,LIT

[Major 2]

I am 3 ...LIT

Not real sure when, sneaked up it did ....Pretty much still think like I always did, just don't feel like do'n' like I always did     

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Amen,Brother M2

[Arcey]

Ye who enter here abandon all hope.....

They're all older 'n me 'n I'm ancient, Sim.

[Texas Lawdog]

You can add me to the list, 67 going on 68.