CV-67 USS JFK in the Solent

[gwoof]

Got on board with a number of fellow MAS members - 3 shots I have scanned from the day:

[viscount]

A day I remember well. The occasion was on 24th October 1976. U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, CV-67, off Spithead.

Being (just) over 25 and willing, I drove a self-drive-hire Transit minibus down from Liverpool full of MAS enthusiasts. I seem to recall sharing the driving though I forget who with. A midnight (or thereabouts) departure from the MAS clubroom at the Airport.

At 1.30am a drive around the Blue Lias Inn car park to spot a Vampire T.11 XE872/62 in the headlights. As we were way too early for our 'appointent' with J.F.K., several frigid hours were spent in a car park (Oxford Services I suspect). The cold was chilling despite being rolled up in a sleeping bag. At first light Upper Heyford was 'inspected' - however the base was shrouded in fog, so no F-111E's logged. A drive around Brize Norton yielded just XR366 Belfast, XS603 & XXS640 Andovers and Hercules XV222.

Later, by now well in daylight, Aztec G-BBSL was noted passing on a lorry northbound at Twyford. Possibly the only record in my logs of an aircraft only seen by me in a rear view mirror!

We were transported out from Spithead (?) Harbour stood in the aft well of a tug. Quite alarming was the jump from tug to a floating platform attached to the Carrier. The motion though seemed to opposites rather than sycronised, as the tug went up, the platform descended so exadurating the swell. While the motion of tug was marked, the Carrier was like an island, rock solid, despite the Solent chop.

Into the log book went 21 x F-14A Tomcats, 20 x A-7B Corsairs, 9 x A-6E Intruders, 4 x KA-6D Intruders, 3 x RF-8G Crusader, 4 x EA-6B Prowler, 10 x S-3A Viking, 8 x SH-3D Sea King and 4 x E-2C Hawkeye. So 83 aircraft - even with the C-1A Trader disembarked quite a lot of heavy metal. In the mid Seventies few UK airfields, civil or military boasted 80+ residents and certainly not in four and a half acres! All embarked aircraft were tail coded 'AB' - little did we realise then that the days of colourful USN unit markings and gloss paint finish were somewhat limited.

My log includes 7 aircraft at Portsmouth - almost certain these were fly-overs while on the carrier, not on the ground. G-AFWI Tiger Moth, G-ASMZ Terrier, G-AWUX Cessna 172, G-AZIH Auster, G-BBTY Sundowner, G-BCUY Cessna 150 and XL875/12:LS Whirlwind HAS.7 of Lee SAR Flt. My logbook also indicates a visit to Lyneham on the way home, but with no entries, so it would seem nothing was there apart from Hercules.

Thanks for posting the photos. I have a great number of rather thin, grey-washed slides, so don't touch those posted for quality.

[Deleted]

Those were the days, great pics, great memories

Happy days

Bob

[Beemer]

For and behalf of Viscount

4 1/2 acres of aeroplanes in the Solent- the USS John F Kennedy


A 7B Corsair of VA-72 below decks.


Corsair, Tomcat and Viking.


S-2A Viking of VS-32


E-2C Hawkeye of VAW-129


A-6E Intruder of VA-34 "The Blasters"


H-3D Sea King of HS-11


Aeroplanes as far as the eye can see.


F-14A Tomcat of "the Hatters" VF-14

[john1958]

Hi guys nice to see some REAL military hardware!!!!!

Anyone care to post the log???

John

[gwoof]

This was mine:


F-14A 159024 AB 100 VF-14
F-14A 159427 AB 101 VF-14
F-14A 159017 AB 105 VF-14
F-14A 159020 AB 107 VF-14
F-14A 159023 AB 110 VF-14
F-14A 159425 AB 112 VF-14
F-14A 159019 AB 114 VF-14
F-14A 159593 AB 120 VF-14
F-14A 159609 AB 121 VF-14
F-14A 159597 AB 122 VF-14
F-14A 159616 AB 123 VF-14
F-14A 159009 AB 201 VF-32
F-14A 159013 AB 203 VF-32
F-14A 159015 AB 204 VF-32
F-14A 159016 AB 204 VF-32
F-14A 159022 AB 210 VF-32
F-14A 159423 AB 212 VF-32
F-14A 159426 AB 214 VF-32
F-14A 159612 AB 220 VF-32
F-14A 159589 AB 222 VF-32
F-14A 159601 AB 223 VF-32
RF-8G 146863 AB 610 VFP-63 Det 2
RF-8G 144607 AB 602 VFP-63 Det 2
RF-8G 145616 AB 603 VFP-63 Det 2
A-7B 154462 AB 300 VA-46
A-7B 154438 AB 301 VA-46
A-7B 154550 AB 302 VA-46
A-7B 154505 AB 303 VA-46
A-7B 154481 AB 305 VA-46
A-7B 154482 AB 307 VA-46
A-7B 154502 AB 311 VA-46
A-7B 154389 AB 312 VA-46
A-7B 154472 AB 313 VA-46
A-7B 154388 AB 314 VA-46
A-7B 154556 AB 400 VA-72
A-7B 154493 AB 402 VA-72
A-7B 154453 AB 403 VA-72
A-7B 154451 AB 404 VA-72
A-7B 154395 AB 405 VA-72
A-7B 154498 AB 406 VA-72
A-7B 154375 AB 407 VA-72
A-7B 154371 AB 411 VA-72
A-7B 154368 AB 412 VA-72
A-7B 154491 AB 413 VA-72
A-6E 158043 AB 500 VA-34
A-6E 154169 AB 501 VA-34
A-6E 158046 AB 502 VA-34
A-6E 158047 AB 503 VA-34
A-6E 154142 AB 504 VA-34
A-6E 158529 AB 505 VA-34
A-6E 151802 AB 506 VA-34
A-6E 158532 AB 507 VA-34
A-6E 158535 AB 510 VA-34
KA-6D 151783 AB 520 VA-34
KA-6D 151581 AB 521 VA-34
KA-6D 155691 AB 522 VA-34
KA-6D 152913 AB 523 VA-34
S-3A 159751 AB 700 VS-32
S-3A 159752 AB 701 VS-32
S-3A 159753 AB 702 VS-32
S-3A 159754 AB 703 VS-32
S-3A 159755 AB 704 VS-32
S-3A 159756 AB 705 VS-32
S-3A 159757 AB 706 VS-32
S-3A 159758 AB 707 VS-32
S-3A 159759 AB 710 VS-32
S-3A 159760 AB 711 VS-32
E-2C 158641 AB 010 VAW-125
E-2C 159110 AB 011 VAW-125
E-2C 160008 AB 012 VAW-125
E-2C 160009 AB 013 VAW-125
EA-6B 158801 AB 611 VAQ-133
EA-6B 158802 AB 612 VAQ-133
EA-6B 158803 AB 613 VAQ-133
EA-6B 158804 AB 614 VAQ-133
SH-3D 156498 AB 730 HS-11
SH-3D 152695 AB 731 HS-11
SH-3D 152705 AB 732 HS-11
SH-3D 154117 AB 733 HS-11
SH-3D 156493 AB 734 HS-11
SH-3D 156497 AB 735 HS-11
SH-3D 154118 AB 736 HS-11
SH-3D 156489 AB 737 HS-11

[crumb]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!