240818 Good Times Part 2 is better described as bad times can happen.

I enjoyed serving on the Kitty Hawk and I remember so many things during those 2 cruises but bad times can sometimes follow good ones.

Once an A4 jet attack bomber came back from a bombing run over Vietnam. One of its bombs would not be release during its time over land. The A4 came in for a landing on the carrier. Planes land at 160 miles an hour, more or less and come to a stop in little more than 100 feet. As the A4 landed, it caught an arresting wire, which brought it to a sudden stop. The stop was so harsh that the bomb finally broke loose. The bomb scooted along the deck for the remaining 150 feet and went over the front end of the angle deck and plunged into the water. We knew that if the bomb exploded it would damage the ship and those of us on the flight deck. We held our breaths as the bomb went down the deck and then again when it hit the water as the ship continued sailing at full speed over the sinking bomb.

One late afternoon, an A6 medium bomber was ready to approach the catapult for launching. Prior to any flight, planes are double checked just before launch. An airframe mechanic was on the side of the plane. The plane captain was in front to signal the pilot. The mechanic was there to check for any hydraulic fluid leaks. Without hydraulic fluids it’s difficult to impossible to control and land a plane. On each side of the A6 there are what are called air brakes. The ones on an A6 were 1 inch steel plates that open before landing to reduce the planes airspeed and they require hydraulic fluid to work. The plane captain signaled the pilot to open the air brake. The mechanic stuck his head in between the plane and the air brake as normal to ensure there were no leaks. The mechanic pulled his head out and signaled the plane captain to signal the pilot to close the brake. Evidently the mechanic thought he had a glimpse of fluid leaking. Without further thinking, he stuck his head back in to get a second look. The brake closed on his head. The plane captain signaled the pilot to reopen the brakes and shut the engine down. As the brake opened I could see the mechanic’s head as he collapsed to the deck. His head was no wider than a cigar box on end. Medics came running over to pick the mechanic up and take him to sick bay. There was nothing the doctors there could do. I heard that he lasted about 6 hours before his death.

Events like this and a host of other accidents like fires, missiles lighting off on deck and fires do happen on a flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Years ago and still today, working on a flight deck was and still is listed as one of the more dangerous jobs in the world.

The USS Forestal lost 132 sailors when explosions and fires ripped the ship apart back in the late sixties. The Enterprise had a similar issue a year before I was on the Kitty Hawk. The Oriskany had a flight deck fire and lost over a hundred sailors at sea.