USS COWPENS landing

[Buckeye30]

One of the classic deck landing accidents, an F6F-5 on "Cowpens" (VF-46) returning from the 24 Feb. 1945 Tokyo raid wrights-off 5 more; the pilots were still in cockpits but no fatalities though 2 deck-crew were lost overboard. Dangerous place with engines running up too; a handler on "Yorktown" was blown backwards and a pitot tube went through his cheek.


https://www.navsource.org/archives/02/022527.jpg


Nick

[twocee]

The culprit here was Ens. A.W. Adair who bounced and jumped the barriers returning from a strike against Okinawa on 1 March 1945. 4 Hellcats were stricken as a result of the accident.

[Leendert]

Ship's account of the accident here: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1017...objectPage=161
Two sailors went missing.

Adair in #71554. Report names two jettisons: #72349 (1 March) and #72672 (2 March).

Leendert

[twocee]

Nick,

Those photos and captions seemed familiar and indeed I have now found that the webpage is a copy of page 150 from the book 'The Pacific War' by Larry Sowinski, published in 1981 by Conway Maritime Press.

[Jim MacDonald]

The accident report for this mishap includes virtually no info on the cause of the accident.

https://hosting.photobucket.com/9363...320&fit=bounds



Mac

[Buckeye30]

Many thanks for date correction. The "Mighty Moo" says 24 Feb. for the Tokyo raids and I mis-read the accident as the same date; "Navsource" says January.
Lee's "Cowpens" diary is p.44 for March 1; losses listed as 2-VF over the side, 3-VF wrecked on deck, 2-VF repaired as "duds" and 2-VF damaged but repairable.
I suspect changes of underwear require all round.



Thanks again
Nick