T-bolt Taking A Cat Shot

[Jack Cook]

Here's a good one for you t-bolt fans!

P-47D 318th FG off to Saipan

[Mudge]

I don't see a tail hook. How do they come back aboard?

Mudge the curious

[Former Member]

Nice pick Jack...do you have any info or background on this particular pic?

I 've never heard of a Thunderbolt being launched from a carrier deck!

John

[Jerry O'Neill]

They didn't recover on the carrier. They flew directly to a land base.
This was done in both North Africa with P-40's and the South Pacific with P-47's to deliever aircraft quickly to the action.
Jerry

[TimAPNY]

That is a great shot.

Tim

[Jack Cook]

This is a 73rd FS P-47D being launched off the escort carrier Sargent Bay. This was in June 1944 during the invasion of Saipan. The whole group was carrier launched I believe.

[skymstr02]

No catapult either, cats didn't come about until jets came on board, they needed a higher take off speed that the engines couldn't deliver.

[Jack Cook]

No catapult either, cats didn't come about until jets came on board, they needed a higher take off speed that the engines couldn't deliver

Not true at all. Catapults (hydraulic) were very much in use during WWII and in this photo! In fact the first US carrier was equipted with one around 1936. All carriers in the Essex class and the Enterprise and first
Hornet and Yorktown all had 3 cats. 2 on the forward flight deck and one on the hanger deck.
Jets needed a more powerful shot and with the advent of the steam catapult this was achieved.

Last edited by Jack Cook on Wed Nov 22, 2006 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Jerry O'Neill]

You can see the Catapult cable just below the P-47.
Jerry

[Mudge]

OK...but what did they hook the cable to?

Mudge the curious

ps. I knew they didn't come back to the carrier. Just a bit of my somewhat obtuse humor.
Sorry...I repent...no more humor.

[Connery]

If I remember correctly, there was a device that connected a cable to each of the landing gear legs and had a hook in the middle that attached to the catapult shuttle.

[Connery]

Yep, I did a search and found this pic showing the bolt before the cat shot.

[Tom Crawford]

I don't know what they hooked to under the T-Bolt but I know Hellcats and Corsairs all have catapult hooks under the wings. By the way the T-Bolt looks like Curtiss built "G" model....

[Jack Cook]

Also notice the holdback attached to the tail wheel strut. That bit of technology hasen't changed.
BTW-differen't airplane!

[FG1D Pilot]

The "N" model has catapult hooks incorporated in the gear scissors.