On the USS Forrestal...late 60s and never done again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=BjNyQvhsQE8
I know I've heard about this experiment before, but I don't remember why it was attempted in the first place.... Were they trying to make it a regular thing - ferry supplies out the carrier, etc., or something else? As I recall, it wasn't persued because there just wasn't enough of safety margin distance-wise, between the edge of the wing and the ships superstructure.....
Considering the flight deck was designed for the weight of a fighter I wonder if alterations to the ship were made for this one time only take-off/landing
Since it was just an experiment, the C-130 probably didn't have much weight in it - no cargo, etc. The deck is all steel - I'm sure plenty strong enough to handle the C-130. Back around that same time, carriers were launching and recovering A-3 Skywarriors, pretty large 2-engine bomber....
Wow, it gets better. Seems they did it multible times, sometimes under a full load ... BTW done in 1963. http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/c130_forrestal.asp Aircraft carriers interest me. My Dad was a gunner on the USS Intrepid CV11 during the Battle of Okinawa in which he was awarded a PH 16Mar45
I can't exactly remember but I think the experiment was in either 1964 or 66. It was to determine replenishment at sea as the C-1 Traders were quite small. The problem was that all other aircraft had to be removed from the flight deck. Quite impractical as all the airwings' aircraft will not fit in the hangar. The Lt flying the C130 died of lukemia several years later. The flight deck certainly can handle the weight. As Krash stated the A3 aircraft were large and quite heavy. The take off weight of an EA-3D was close, if not over, 100,000 lbs and landing weight was over 80,000. The EA-3Ds were heavier than the A-3D bombers. Ultimately the experiment was a failure even though the C-130 succesfully launched and recovered. Later the Navy started using the C-2A Greyhound which they still use today. All fuel and most supplies were done by ship to ship transfer but mail, aircraft parts and personnel come by C-2 aircraft. A little more trivia. During my final cruise on the USS Nimitz in 1993 the aircraft flying used 250,000 gallons of jet fuel per day. Our typical flying day was 140 flights over about 10 hours per day. During the 1991 Gulf war all fuel was supplied or paid for by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, UAE free of charge to all the US armed forces. Japan supplied most ground transportation and ground housing where needed free of charge in Bahrain, Qatar and Saudia Arabia. I can't remember who supplied the millions of gallons of bottled water but it was never ending. If the armed forces needed something they got it within hours of the request. So, the C-130 on the aircraft carrier was an experiment at rapid resupply at sea.
Thanks for that info...I always assumed we paid for everything, I guess I forget it was a coalition effort.
