Calling all USS Yorktown CV-5 fans

[Elvis965]

Hi John,

This is a little pricey, but some folks in the Hornet thread love them:

http://www.marylandsilver.com/new_page_17.htm

Bob

[jabarry]

Was doing my research for a kitbash of Tamiya Enterprise and Hornet to do a Yorktown. I had seen no pictures that showed evident flight deck markings on the Yorktown during Midway. I ran across this today and it appears to show centerline dashes on the forward flightdeck. Pull it up in picture viewer and it becomes pretty clear. These appear to be larger than the ones the BigE sported. Interesting pic of the forward catwalk platforms too. Oh, and I noticed that the centerline of the flight deck just happens to be out of all the pictures showing the damage after the dive bombing so it seems like the possibility of a centerline dash line ONLY with dashes somewhat thicker and longer than the BigE dashes. But still nothing conclusive. I heard there are pictures of a deck crash showing markings, but I have not found or seen these. Sorry if this is all old news, just getting back into ship modeling after 20 some years and I didn't see a discussion of Yorktown's deck markings here.

Also, anyone have a definitive list for this conversion? I did a rather quick search through here and didn't see one. I am compiling my own, but still it could save me some time.

[Tracy White]

Devin and I were the ones to notice the flight deck markings in the crash footage (I think he noticed it first). It was from a DVD on the F4F Wildcat by Aircraft Films, now defunct or morphed into anothe rentity I can't remember the name of at the moment.

I'll see if I can take a screen shot tonight to post.

[Tracy White]

These are screen captures from Aircraft Film's "F4F Wildcat" 2-disc DVD set. They are of Ensign Tom Cheek's aircraft b/n 5143 - white 16 (VF-3, note the Felix Logo), landing back aboard Yorktown during the battle of Midway. His tailhook gear was damaged and he went into the barrier and flipped over. This was shot from the island.

[jabarry]

Those are great pictures. It is so hard to believe that the markings are so not evident in all the other shots of Yorktown during Midway, but there they are. At first I was suspecting that the wildcat shown was a Yorktown orphan landing on the BigE or Hornet. But the narratives all state that Cheek did indeed land on the Yorktown after Thach, and make a barrier landing and flip over. So this is indeed his aircraft(markings) and that incident. I will have my friend who is sort of a photo expert work on the other photos and see if the lines can be brought out or explain to me how white light and distance easily washed them out so they are indiscernible. It is also interesting that the dashes on the centerline bow in the photo I posted appear thicker than the centerline dashes of the crash photo. Also, outside starboard line of dashes are not visible on the sinking bow photo. From the crash photo it would seem that the centerline dash line is made up of narrower dashes than the outside lines. It is possible that line characteristics changed by location on the ship. I can also try to track down a veteran who's recollection is still accurate enough to confirm observations.

[Tracy White]

Well, once you know they're there you can see them in other shots
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/imag ... 312021.jpg
Look between the sailors and the extinguisher, just at the sailors feet.

But it's really subtle.

[jabarry]

Oh, and on another topic - What color is the Two-Block Fox flight ops signal?

[Michael Vorrasi]

A little something for all you Yorktown fans. This photo is a still from a film clip and shows CV-5 arriving at Pearl Harbor from the Coral Sea battle, Her crew is manning the rails in whites. CV-6 is in the foreground. Too bad Hornet could not have made it into the shot. I don't think a photo exists showing all three sisters together. Hornet was in Pearl, but on the other side of Ford island at the time of this shot.

[MartinJQuinn]

Nice! What is that above the spotting top on CV-5 that seems to have caught the sunlight? The radar or something in the background?

[Timmy C]

Dibs on a CXAM.

[Dick J]

Nice! What is that above the spotting top on CV-5 that seems to have caught the sunlight? The radar or something in the background?

It is definitely CXAM. There were only 6 of those sets produced, mounted on Yorktown, California, Pensacola, Northampton, Chester and Chicago. The CXAM had a "U" shaped frame around the lower half, and the antenna could be tilted within that frame. After Midway, the California's set replaced the SC on the Hornet's foretop, which was then mounted on the after mast giving Hornet 2 air search sets. In this shot, Enterprise has a CXAM-1 which was produced in somewhat greater numbers than the CXAM. CXAM-1 lacked the ability of the earlier CXAM to tilt.

[MartinJQuinn]

It is definitely CXAM.

That's what I thought. Interesting how the frame stands out like that in the sunlight.

[jabarry]

A little something for all you Yorktown fans. This photo is a still from a film clip and shows CV-5 arriving at Pearl Harbor from the Coral Sea battle, Her crew is manning the rails in whites. CV-6 is in the foreground. Too bad Hornet could not have made it into the shot. I don't think a photo exists showing all three sisters together. Hornet was in Pearl, but on the other side of Ford island at the time of this shot.

Nice shot. How long is this film clip and where did it come from? It is only the second photo I know of that shows the life raft arrangement on the starboard side amidships. It has been fun catching up on all the new information available on Yorktown since I was last into investigating all this back in the late sixties and early 70s.

[Michael Vorrasi]

A little something for all you Yorktown fans. This photo is a still from a film clip and shows CV-5 arriving at Pearl Harbor from the Coral Sea battle, Her crew is manning the rails in whites. CV-6 is in the foreground. Too bad Hornet could not have made it into the shot. I don't think a photo exists showing all three sisters together. Hornet was in Pearl, but on the other side of Ford island at the time of this shot.

Nice shot. How long is this film clip and where did it come from? It is only the second photo I know of that shows the life raft arrangement on the starboard side amidships. It has been fun catching up on all the new information available on Yorktown since I was last into investigating all this back in the late sixties and early 70s.

The clip was barely a second or so long, enough to see the ship move forward a few feet at best. I captured it from a documentary, but which one escapes me at the moment. I did it many months ago and its been sitting on the HD. I was able to get three good frames, and this one is the best of the three. The other two hide more of the rafts as she glides into the frame from the left, so this one had the most details.

[guntojim]

My father was a flight-deck crewman on Yorktown from 11/40-6/42. He left behind 3 78 rpm records detailing what he saw and did during the Coral Sea/Midway battles. This is a very interesting site, particularly the photos. He is in one of the photos of survivors leaving the Fulton in Pearl Harbor, published elsewhere. The only thing we have from the Yorktown is an original menu from her last peacetime Christmas dinner. Good to see so much interest in this fine ship. Jim

[John W.]

So, it looks as though YORKTOWN had a White Flight Deck for Coral Sea. Here's the photographic proof! Sorry, couldn't resist starting a bogus rumor. There are so many around.
One thing I did notice is that ENTERPRISE has had one of her searchlights (is it a 36" or 24"?) removed from the starboard stack platform. Interesting that HORNET had one searchlight removed and the platform cut down just after commissioning. Looks like they couldn't take the time for Big E in the forward area, so they did the best they could at least removing the dead weight of the searchlights (I assume they did the same thing on the port side, but maybe not if they could not get a crane swung across the flight deck to reach it).
I always have fun seeing what I can spot in a picture that is new to me. Part of the fun of this sport.

[Sr. Gopher]

not cool, I almost fell for that!!!

[ruithoven]

Guntojim - I saw a previous quote from you posted on another message board saying that your father served in Guadalcanal on CASU 11 and that you have a photo or two. My grandfather just passed away last week and he was part of CASU 11 in Guadalcanal, as well. Any chance you can scan the photos and e-mail to me at ruithoven@yahoo.com ? My grandfather was Henry Franklin "Frank" Parker. Thank you, sir. Robert Uithoven

[Michael Vorrasi]

Yorktown's Booklet of General Plans for her in 1940 rig is available in pdf here. Enjoy! Lots of others too, including Wasp CV-7.
http://www.hnsa.org/doc/plans/index.htm

[JTninja]

^Thanks, great reference!

Question, for the rear flight deck supports, are they on the edge of the stern, or a couple feet away on both side? Im having a hard time with the above plans...