Vought OS2U Kingfisher

[Subdeacon Joe]

A U.S. Navy Vought OS2U Kingfisher taxis towards the recovery sled for recovery by the battleship USS South Dakota (BB-57) in April 1943. Note the signalman with flags on board the ship. South Dakota was operating in the North Atlantic at that time.
Date	29 April 1943
Source	U.S. Navy National Museum of Naval Aviation photo No. 2004.166.002.005

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795]

No pic here,Joe.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Just now, Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 said:

No pic here,Joe.

 

Yeah, trying to edit it on my phone and accidentally closed the FB page with the photo.

 

Fixed the title and added the photo.

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795]

I thought SoDak was in the Pacific in '43. Know her and Washington had a tiff with the Nippon Navy at Guadalcanal in late '42. Back in the Atlantic after battle damage  repair???????????

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Looks like you nailed it Buck.  In the Atlantic only a few months.

 

"South Dakota returned to the United States for repairs that lasted into 1943, after which she was briefly deployed to strengthen the British Home Fleet, tasked with protecting convoys to the Soviet Union."

[Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795]

Ooo, Arctic convoy duty, not the choicest assignment for sure.

[Smuteye John SASS#24774]

40 minutes ago, Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 said:

Ooo, Arctic convoy duty, not the choicest assignment for sure.

Especially for the crew that had been serving in the South Pacific just a short time before.

 

The Army did something like that to some troops at Ft Benning in the '80's. 

 

They were based in GA and the first winter, they got sent to Jungle Warfare School.  The next winter, they got sent to Desert Warfare School. 

 

The 3rd year, they get sent to Arctic Warfare School.

 

Them poor folks ain't seen even a Southern winter in 3 years and they ended up in Alaska?

 

Air Force ain't any better.  My Uncle was stationed in Alaska twice during his career.  The second time, his TDY station was Guam.  He bounced between Moose Jaw, Alaska and Guam for 3 years.

[Sedalia Dave]

That looks like a rather rough ride.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

That pilot had to have nerves of steel and awesome sea handling skills. Not to mention the deck hands manning winches and cranes. Yeesh! 

[The Blarney Kid]

No worse than my first 2 duty stations after my schools. My first duty station was Diego Garcia, just south of the equator. Average temp year round 98° average humidity 97%. Then I was transferred to Londonderry NI in December, heck of a difference. 

[Chantry]

On 9/25/2021 at 1:48 PM, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

Looks like you nailed it Buck.  In the Atlantic only a few months.

 

"South Dakota returned to the United States for repairs that lasted into 1943, after which she was briefly deployed to strengthen the British Home Fleet, tasked with protecting convoys to the Soviet Union."

 

Probably because there was some doubt that the HMS Anson & HMS Duke of York would win a naval engagement if the KMS Tirpitz & KMS Scharnhorst had decided to put out to sea and go after a convoy.

 

If the books are correct, the 14" guns of the HMS King George V failed to penetrate the deck armor of the KMS Bismarck.  I recall reading a reference that the British Admiralty ordered that the  KMS Tirpitz was not to be engaged in a one on one fight with a King George V class battleship.