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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Uncommon Valor - Campaign for the South Pacific >>

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- 9/30/2003 2:37:28 AM

Feinder

Posts: 6589
Joined: 9/4/2002
From: Land o' Lakes, FL
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The major problem the USN had with the Corsair was it's very long nose. When looking down (at the deck) on approach, the long nose of the Corsair, created a much large blindspot than either the Wildcat or Hellcat. Fearing unnecessary losses of planes (or worse, pilots), the USN relagated most of it's Corsairs to the Marines, where landing on a dirt strip is considerably more forgiving than landing on a CV.

The British however, were very happy to take the time to develope proper landing techniques. They ended up approaching paralell to the CV's course, but to the side by 50 meters or so. At the end of the approach, the pilot would side-slip into the line of the flight-deck and touch down. The same technique was later adopted by the USN.

-F-

_____________________________

"It is obvious that you have greatly over-estimated my regard for your opinion." - Me

(in reply to Shaggy)

Post #: 1

- 11/9/2003 11:52:39 AM

Micah Goodman

Posts: 197
Joined: 5/23/2002
Status: offline

[QUOTE=Shaggy]The Corsair was accually designed for the USN to use as a carrier plane. But there were some problems in early trials, so it was given to the Marines to use as land based. The British figured out the problems with using the Corsair from carriers and the USN stated using them for carrier ops, but not until 1944.

[/QUOTE]

I have heard this same statement from several different people on the web and I would like to take a moment to correct this fallacy. The Corsair did operate from USN carriers as early as June 1943. VF-17 nicknamed The Jolly Rogers, Lieutenant Commander Tom Blackburn commanding was assigned to the USS Bunker Hill. From then until September 1943 VF-17 along with Vought (the designer of the Corsair) worked out most of the bugs the pilots were having with the plane. They practiced carrier based landings during the time the ship sailed from the Eastern United States until the ship arrived in Hawaii. When the ship arrived in Hawaii VF-17 was detached and replaced with VF-18. VF-18 was flying the Hellcat.

I quote from Mr. Blackburn’s book The Jolly Rogers, pages 99 and 100 when he was given news of the detachment, “Upon arrival Pearl Harbor, VF-17 detached from Bunker Hill. Proceed by first available transportation to Espiritu Santo and report to Commander, South Pacific, for duty. VF-18 will replace.
Typically, no explanation was given. I looked up at Bally, (Captain Ballentine the commanding officer of the USS Bunker Hill) and he just shook his head with a beaten air of finality; there was no sense in trying to squawk our way out of this one, the decision from on high was obviously final. Bally and I had talked about the possibility of something like this happening, and we both thought we knew why. As the Navy’s only carrier-based Corsair squadron, our place in the supply system was ambiguous to say the least, and troublesome. All the other carrier-based fighter units were equipped with F6F Hellcats or, in smaller ships F4F Wildcats. The hard realities of the supply system, we guessed, had simply overwhelmed the front office’s authentic desire to see us operating Corsairs from the carrier. I supposed that the decision had been made without emotion at AirPac headquarters, for they, after all, would be the people who would have to jump through hoops to keep us supplied. Bally was later told that this was indeed the reason we were relieved, and not-definitely not-because the front office thought the airplanes were unsuitable for carrier work.”

This clearly shows that the Corsair could have operated in the South Pacific during the Fall of 1943 had the US Navy not made the choice to pull VF-17 off of the USS Bunker Hill. I would like out of curiosities sake to know why people keep insisting that the British Navy solved the Corsairs teething problems when according to Captain Blackburn VF-17 did it in mid to late 1943.

(in reply to Shaggy)

Post #: 2