Here's a future Naval Aviator from our first "Open Cockpit Sunday" back in October last year!

Akagi as seen from on high, 04 June 1942. Notice the hinomaru (sun circle) on the forward bow (Photo Naval History and Heritage Command)

At 1026 on Thursday, 04 June 1942, Navy Lieutenant Dick Best locked his pilot’s eyes on the image of a sun circle on a Japanese aircraft carrier’s flight deck, located fifteen thousand feet beneath him in the Pacific Ocean. As he rolled his Dauntless dive bomber into a steep descent, his vision remained focused on the target as he trimmed his aircraft to compensate for wind drift. His body experienced the familiar acceleration of a rapid, steep dive in a sequence of events that he had practiced over and over. Dick’s focus could not be broken on this morning by the anti-aircraft fire, the incredible plunge towards earth or fear of death. He knew the lives of thousands of American sailors and the fate of the battle for Midway depended upon his skill and courage. After forty seconds the sun circle beckoned to him, Dick reached out his left hand to pull the manual bomb release. His one thousand pound bomb plunged downwards and after sixteen hundred feet of descent hit the Japanese Imperial Navy’s aircraft carrier Akagi in the middle of her flight deck. Defeat had come to Japan.

During the Battle of Midway, SBD Dauntless dive bombers from USS Hornet (CV-8) approach the immobilized and burning Japanese heavy cruiser Mikuma to make the third set of attacks on her. (Photo US Navy)

Watch SBD’s dive in formation

Here is a cockpit view of a F-18 catapulting and trapping on the USS Enterprise CVN-65!

Aircraft that are being opened to the public include the SBD Dauntless, F-9 Cougar, H-1 Huey, S-3 Viking, H-3 Sea King, F-18 Hornet and the A-6 Intruder. Cockpits will be open from 10 AM till 4 PM on Sunday, 19 February. Normal museum admission will be charged for the day.

Below is a sneak peek at our SBD (Scout Bomber Douglas) Dauntless cockpit, come on out and just imagine being a pilot for a day…take home memories of greatness and a new appreciation for our freedom…

Cockpit instruments and plotting board at bottom in our Dauntless.

Left side of cockpit, throttle, prop and mixture control, fuel tank selection switches.

Right side of cockpit, gear handle, electrical switches, dive flaps, normal flaps, etc.

Kids have a great time imagining being a pilot, and who knows what the future will bring?

Last night the pier section that had been removed, was returned to position after Laffey's arrival.

Power workers are busy working on restoring electrical power to the ship and we are busy getting ready to open back up to the public. It will be a little longer to prep Laffey for visitors, but not much longer. Here are images showing the new positioning at Patriots Point and we look forward to getting back into our usual business of education, patriotism, preserving our nation’s heritage and stories of freedom… and the wonder of it all.

The Laffey's new berth with Charleston Harbor Resort in the background.

Clamagore riding in her new berth next to the Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina and Castle Pinckney (War of 1812) in the background.

View Laffey, the sail of Clamagore (center) and the Yorktown together in this shot.

The new ship profiles from shore!

Laffey home moored in her new berth next to Yorktown!

World War II destroyer USS Laffey departed her temporary home on Shipyard Creek for her real home at Patriots Point around 7 AM this morning.  Below is a series of images showing her approach and lineup for her new berth.  The morning was cool, crisp and clear, perfect for bringing the famous warship home. Welcome home Laffey, we are excited to have her back where she belongs and now preparations will begin to get her open for the public once again. Stay tuned for updates and the opening celebration we plan to hold!

Laffey under tow beneath the Ravenel Bridge on the way home!

Patriots Point in the distance as Laffey heads home.

Getting closer!

About to make her final turn out of the channel with Charleston in the background.

Laffey on final approach to Patriots Point with the bridge behind her.

About to pass in front of Yorktown's bow, Laffey crew members on flight deck to welcome her back with air horns and cheers!

Just beneath Yorktown's bow, almost there!

This is a photo destroyer and carrier sailors normally hate to see, as the "tin-can" is cut in half by the larger, faster aircraft carrier. Big no no to turn in front of an aircraft carrier.

Rounding the bend for the home stretch!

Laffey beginning to make her correction for lineup to her new berth!

A little right rudder for lineup!

Ready to thread the needle as Laffey approaches the pier opening.

Halfway through the pier opening, almost home!

Laffey clears the pier opening, entering new berth.

Just a few more yards, almost home!

Check out the Laffey's outboard motor! She does the job!

Laffey's mooring lines are pulled in and "The Ship That Would Not Die" is home!

Here is the Post and Courier story by Warren Wise on Laffey’s return.

And here are the photos from Post and Courier!

AP story by Bruce Smith in USA Today on Laffey’s return and in the Washington Post!

WCBD Channel 2 Video and story

Link to more pictures of Laffey from the Channel 4 WCIV news photographer…

Video from Channel 4 News…

WCSC Channel 5 video and story here.

Great video from Mount Pleasant Patch with Laffey Association President Sonny Walker…

Yahoo News article and pictures…

Laffey eased away from the Detyen's shipyard facilities on 11 January 2010 at 1300.

True to her wartime name, “The Ship That Would Not Die,” the famous World War II destroyer Laffey will return to life as a museum ship sometime during the week of January 22-27^th. The Laffey was moved from Detyen’s Shipyard last January to a pier on Shipyard Creek and now her return is in sight! The museum will be closed from Sunday, 22 January, until its tentative reopening on Saturday, 28 January, due to the movement of submarine Clamagore and return of destroyer Laffey.

When she returns next week, there will be many ageing destroyermen from the Laffey Association, Tin Can Sailors and other former sailors who will converge at Patriots Point to welcome her home. One of them from the Laffey Association will be Lee Hunt from James Island, who is one of only about 20 World War II Laffey crew members still alive today. They have been calling the museum daily and making plans to get to South Carolina as they remember their past service. Their service speaks to all Americans of sacrifice, and duty. It is a service that honors our nation as we fight against terrible odds on terrible days, and it is a service that gives us hope for the future of our nation and future generations.

After five months of dry-dock repairs at Detyen's Shipyards, the famed World War II destroyer Laffey is pushed by tugboats Monday to the State Ports Authority's Pier November last year.

Patriots Point will welcome Laffey back with a special ceremony in early Spring after her return. Indeed, the nation should welcome her back as a living legacy of our dedication to freedom and our veterans.

Volunteer Larry Melin (holding the candles) celebrates his 90th birthday along with several of his Patriots Point buddies.

Patriots Point volunteer Ernest “Larry” Melin recently celebrated his 90th birthday onboard USS Yorktown. Officially, our oldest living volunteer, Larry served in the Army Air Corp from 1942 to 1946. After his enlistment, his aptitude and high grades had the Army Air Corp pointing him towards pilot training, but just as quickly the need for bomber crews returned Larry on course for enlisted aircrew member duties in the B-17. He was sent to North Carolina State University to receive advanced radar operator training and more training as a radio operator and gunner in the B-17 Flying Fortress at Barksdale Field in Louisiana.

Army Air Corps B-17 Flying Fortress (Photo USAAC)

He arrived in England in December 1944 as part of the Eighth Air Force, 306th Bombardment Group know as “The Reich Wreckers,” read a detailed history on them here. The 306th had been the first bombardment group to fly into Germany in 1942.

Larry would end up in the group’s 369th Bombardment Squadron. As a radar/radio operator and gunner he would end up flying 12 combat missions over Europe and gain over 400 hours in the B-17. One of his duties as radio/radar operator was to deploy chaff, radar reflective strips to give German radar false targets. On one mission the tailgunner contacted Larry on the intercom and stated, “Larry, you put out more chaff than anybody else, why is that?” Larry replied to him, “Because I’m scared more than anybody else!”

On his almost last mission the 369th had briefed to attack the German sub pens at Kiel, Germany using Disney bombs. Disney bombs were 4500lb bombs designed for penetrating the thick concrete of U-boat shelters. The bomb would free-fall until 5,000 feet altitude when a rocket motor fired pushing the bomb to speeds of 2,400 feet per second upon impact. It could penetrate 20 feet in solid concrete before explosion! As Larry’s squadron was manning their aircraft, they received a message that the war was over!

Squadron patch of the 369th!

Here’s a YouTube video showing a B-17 carrying a Disney bomb in 1945.

After the war ended, Larry’s squadron reconfigured their aircraft for passengers and were involved in carrying VIPs and other government officials in tours of war-torn Europe. During one of these trips, Larry got to see first hand a concentration camp. He said he saw what no person should ever have  to see. His final duties involved overflights of Europe shooting aerial photos for a mapping database. Finally in March of 1946, he returned to the United States as a 19 year old Technical Sergeant and processed out of the Army Air Corp with a reserve ID card from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Larry has been a volunteer at Patriots Point since December 2010. His stories and demeanor have been enjoyed by many of our visitors and staff and we look forward to his 91st birthday next year!

Larry prepares to make his birthday wish! Bombs away....

Laffey is backed out of her berth at Patriots Point by one of four tug boats set to lead her to Detyen's Shipyard.

Former crew members, Patriots Point staff and the news media were on hand earlier this morning to watch the departure of USS Laffey to Detyen’s Shipyard. Exactly at 0715, Laffey began to ease out of her berth and was met by loud cheers and “Hurray!” from onlookers aboard Yorktown and smaller vessels lying off in Charleston Harbor.

Laffey begins her trip up the Cooper River with Charleston in the background.

Laffey being towed up the Cooper River with Yorktown, Patriots Point, Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter in the background.

Laffey disappears under the bridge.

The trip to the dry dock was successfully completed in 75 minutes.

Commander Frank Erickson poses with a Hoverfly (Photo US Coast Guard)

On 03 January 1944, Commander Frank Erickson, United States Coast Guard, flew his Sikorsky HNS-1 Hoverfly helicopter in history’s first mercy flight. After an explosion sank the destroyer USS Turner, DD-648, Commander Erickson delivered over 40 units of blood plasma to a hospital at Sandy Hook, New Jersey. He had launched amid snow squalls from Floyd Bennett Field in New York, picked up the plasma at Battery Park in Manhattan and then flown the medical supplies to Sandy Hook. His flight was responsible for saving many of the surviving crew members of Turner. The explosion carried the Turner along with 15 out of the 16 officers and 123 out of 260 enlisted men to Davy Jones’ locker. You can find the official Navy record of the Turner’s explosion and sinking here…

Commander Frank Erickson, Coast Guard Helicopter Pilot No. 1, in the cockpit of a Sikorsky HNS-1 Hoverfly. (Photo US Coast Guard)

USS Turner DD-648 (Photo US Navy)

Since 1944 helicopter mercy and rescue missions have become routine and have saved thousands of lives, watch Navy training for helicopter rescue missions below:

At Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum the H-1 Huey, H-3 Sea King, H-34 Seahorse and the AH-1J Sea Cobra helicopters are on display, more on them here…

E-2A Hawkeye (top) and a F-4 Phantom in the early 1960s (Photo US Navy).

On 19 December 1962, an E-2A Hawkeye, flown by naval aviator Lieutenant Commander Lee Ramsey was catapulted from the flightdeck of the USS Enterprise (CVAN-65) during the first at sea test of a nose-tow gear designed to replace the catapult bridle system and reduce the time required between aircraft launches on aircraft carriers. This gear would also make aircraft hookups to the catapult safer. Shortly after the Hawkeye, an A-6 Intruder was launched also via nose-tow gear. Another name for the nose-tow gear was launch bar and the tow link assembly is that part of the gear that would raise the nose-tow, launch bar, up after launch to allow the nose gear to cycle properly and fit into the nose wheel well.  Lots of aviators have suffered a “Tow Link” light after launch and had to deal with the problem. Those who raised their gear with a tow link light would not be able to get the nose gear to extend for landing, because it would be wedged up in the nose wheel well…not a good thing for carrier landings!

At Patriots Point you can see the evolution of naval aircraft from bridle launches to nose-tow launches by closely examining the nose gear and the underneath areas of our aircraft.  Below are images from one of our bridle launched aircraft (F-4J Phantom) and our nose-tow, launch bar, aircraft.

Bridle hook up for the Patriots Point F4J Phantom, before tow links were used.

Close up look at the bridle connection to the hookpoint underneath the Phantom's wing, notice the hook is facing rearward so the bridle will slide off once the jet gets to the end of the catapult track.

Launch bar and tow link on Patriots Point's S-3 Viking anti-submarine aircraft.

F-14A Tomcat launch bar on the deck ready to be engaged by the shuttle.

Here's how it all comes together with launch bar and trail bar to hook up a naval aircraft to a catapult.

Here is Patriots Point's A-6E Intruder with the launch bar in the up position.

Here the A-6E Intruder launch bar has been manually placed level on the deck for hook up. All first generation launch bars had to be physically placed in the down postion by flight deck personnel, a dangerous job!

Here is the Patriots Point F-18A Hornet's nose gear and launch bar, notice the launch bar is attached to a mechanism that allows the pilot to put the launch bar in the down (hookup) position, a much safer option for flight deck crew!

Watch our highly trained sailors hook up a F-18 Hornet to this catapult on USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which again launched the first nose-tow aircraft in 1962, forty-nine years ago today! Here you can see it all happen and wonder at our men and women who perform this duty daily!

Positioned on USS Yorktown's (CV-10) #1catapult is our F-4J Phantom (Buno 153077).

The McDonnell F-4 Phantom (eventually became McDonnell-Douglas and then bought by Boeing) was a tandem-seat fighter-bomber designed to fill the U.S. Navy’s fleet defense fighter role. The advent of Soviet jet bombers with long range anti-ship missiles dictated that the U. S. Navy acquire a fighter that could quickly climb and accelerate to intercept the Soviet bombers, before they could get their missiles launched against our carriers.

Despite the size and weight of the Phantom (maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 lb), the jet fighter had a top speed of  Mach 2.23 and an initial climb of over 41,000 ft/min. Not only fast, the Phantom could carry up to 18,650 pounds of ordnance, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and unguided, guided, and nuclear bombs.  This was the selling point for the initial Air Force interest in the aircraft. However, designers believed the era of guns on aircraft was over (with the advent of long/short range missiles) and the F-4 was designed without an internal cannon.

Our F-4J served as Blue Angel number 5 (lead solo position) back in its prime.  The Blue’s flew Phantoms from January 1969 to August 1973 and actually performed over Charleston Harbor in May 1970. Today Blue Angel #5 sits on the starboard catapult of the USS Yorktown (CV-10).

The F-4J was the first Navy/Marine Corp fighter to have a look down, shoot down capability and was built for combat, but it also make a crowd pleasing air show bird.  Watch the Blues flying the Phantom in the clip below and you’ll also catch a view of our bird, #5, flying in the 1970s.