>>11754404

I can tell you that the Flight Deck pics are just that. No significance. The Bird is sitting on on Spot 3.. The LPO on the Vest is Leading Petty Officer.. the 18 is probably a Zone or just a designator for that individual. I worked on the USSS Guam LPH-9 back in the late 70's and early 80's. Quite a few Videos of Ops on the Guam were posted on Jewtube. Good work, fun, but long hours. Nothing to get almonds tingling here.. just some Flight Deck personnel taking pictures of Ops.. relax.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=uss+guam+lph-9

>>11754555

We weren't so lucky.. Lost two birds on one Med Cruise, one AH-1 Cobra where two young Marines were hot dogging on a Phase Test Flight, and hit a Power Wire on the Beach, they brought that one back in Crates.. and body bags. The other was a CH-46, where they set it down with one Main wheel in a soft Creek Bed, which promptly sunk, when they let off the Collective. It tipped and sheared all Rotor Blades, and damaged it pretty heavily. They Sling Lifted it back to the Flight Deck with a CH-53. A year later, we lost a CH-53 when it tried to be brought into land between another CH-53 on the last Spot, and a CH-46 on the Spot in front of the empty spot. The Tail Rotor of the incoming Bird hit the Main Rotor of the turning '53 on the deck, and sheared all the blades. Pilots lost anti-torque, and tried to lift it, and dump it into the Sea, but it spun too quickly, and dumped over, crashing on it's side near the aft pack (Aircraft parking area) and the Aircraft Elevator. Lost 7 people in that crash. It was horrendous. Close quarters on that Flight Deck. Fun work, but no room to be fucking around, and you have your brothers back, regardless of how you feel about them when on the beach!

>>11754716

KEK. Yeah, got my Shellback while in. Got a Bluenose too! Non-Skid can be a bitch. Used to see Marines running PT on the Flight Deck, slip and slide when they would hit something slippery, and tennies would go out from under them, when rounding a corner. Talk about road rash! Yeah, the Rotors are intimidating, but you get used to them. Pretty soon, you get to the point that you know when you're pretty safe. as long as the Heli is sitting static, and Pilot is not fucking around with the Cyclic, you're G2G, especially the taller ones, like the '46 and '53s. Hueys and Cobras you had to crouch a little, just in case, but had to get stuff done, so you just do it, and trust that everyone is going to be doing what they do to the best of their ability as well. Sometimes I wish I could go back, but damm we were at sea a lot.. If I had to do things over, I'd have probably have gone Air Force.. would have retired from there I think.

>>11754903

Speaks volumes, doesn't it!