Have you ever dropped something expensive in the water?

[dogmush]

Well the US Navy did.  They lost a Super Hornet overboard.

https://news.usni.org/2025/04/28/super-hornet-assigned-to-uss-harry-s-truman-lost-at-sea

Story is they were towing it to one of the elevators when the ship made an evasive maneuver for an incoming Houthi missle/drone.  The tow crew lost control and the Hornet and the tug went overboard.

The sailors apparently unassed the tug before she went over, and no one was seriously hurt, so I feel fine laughing at my Haze Grey siblings.  *expletive deleted*it happens, and that's an expensive one, but....it's kinda funny.   Especially since I'm not signed for any of it.

 

[BobR]

I can absolutely see this happening.

Carriers often cruise around with hanger bay doors open and the area around the opening can get slick as greased cat poop. If the elevator is still up and they were positioning the package for the elevator to come down and then the ship heels over because of the evasive maneuver the brakes on the tug nor the plane would be enough to stop it. I am glad they all unassed, including the brake rider in the cockpit. People have been lost in this exact scenario in the past. Some of my favorite memories at sea is sitting at the elevator door opening in the middle of the night as we just cruised along. One of the perks of working 7p to 7a when at sea, some of my most enjoyable times was when all was quiet and all you get is the reflection of the moon off of the water while getting the salt water mist hitting your face.

bob

[Hawkmoon]

Obviously, they have more aircraft. I wonder how many tow tractors an aircraft carrier has.

[BobR]

Obviously, they have more aircraft. I wonder how many tow tractors an aircraft carrier has.

Back in the day we would have 15 to 20, along with the Tilley (aircraft crane on the flight deck) and a few tugs set up to fight flight deck fires. There would always be a few tugs getting maintenance in the GSE (ground support equipment) shop.

bob

[Boomhauer]

Wonder if anyone was riding the brakes in the cockpit and if so, how close they came to going with the jet

[WLJ]

Pull it back up and stick it in rice. It'll be fine

[BobR]

Wonder if anyone was riding the brakes in the cockpit and if so, how close they came to going with the jet

Back in the day, and probably still so, you didn't move a plane without a brake rider. You also had chock walkers (guys along side the wheels carrying chocks and possibly a couple or three wing walkers to ensure clearance form other things. I would almost bet the one reported injury was the brake rider getting out of the cockpit and jumping to the deck.

bob

[French G.]

If it was in the hangar then it was being moved by a spotting dolly, a three wheel zero radius turn affair. Two arms pick up the nose wheel directly in the axis of the dollys two drive wheels. Small drive wheels, same rubber as f18 nose tires.

My old carrier is the reason all the flight deck edges have a continuous rail. Used to be cut outs for bomb disposal chutes and personnel ladders. Well, in Fly One the yellowshirts park by ear, backing the planes at an angle until the main wheel touches the rail. Well, if there is an opening... 1MC goes off at midnight thirty "EOD to the bridge!" We quick head for the shop TV to turn on the plat camera, see about two seconds of something not right before those in charge cut the Plat feed. Oopsie, backed up the f18, wheel went through the deck edge opening,  came to rest in the catwalks supported mainly by the live bomb.

[Hawkmoon]

Back in the day we would have 15 to 20, along with the Tilley (aircraft crane on the flight deck) and a few tugs set up to fight flight deck fires. There would always be a few tugs getting maintenance in the GSE (ground support equipment) shop.

I was pretty certain there would be more than one or two tugs, but I didn't think it might be a couple of dozen.

[BobR]

If it was in the hangar then it was being moved by a spotting dolly, a three wheel zero radius turn affair. Two arms pick up the nose wheel directly in the axis of the dollys two drive wheels. Small drive wheels, same rubber as f18 nose tires.

My old carrier is the reason all the flight deck edges have a continuous rail. Used to be cut outs for bomb disposal chutes and personnel ladders. Well, in Fly One the yellowshirts park by ear, backing the planes at an angle until the main wheel touches the rail. Well, if there is an opening... 1MC goes off at midnight thirty "EOD to the bridge!" We quick head for the shop TV to turn on the plat camera, see about two seconds of something not right before those in charge cut the Plat feed. Oopsie, backed up the f18, wheel went through the deck edge opening,  came to rest in the catwalks supported mainly by the live bomb.

when they have the Hornet inthe dolly do they still have a brake rider in the cockpit?

It's nice the Navy still learns and implements things. Way back when the carriers did not have scuppers between the knee knockers on the O3 level. When we had a fire on the Forrestal we used so much water on the O3 level that became trapped between the knee knockers we took on a 9 degree list at the pier. Years later when visiting the Ranger for lunch I noticed there were scuppers in the deck near the knee knocker that drained into the hanger bay so that from there it could go over the side. A lot of innovations come out of accidents and near accidents.

bob

[French G.]

Can't remember on the brake rider thing, long time ago and all my hornet moves were ashore in an environment mercifully free of yellow and blue shirts.

One yellow shirt got off a running and in gear tug right in front of the CO and the admiral. Tug thus being duly witnessed excused itself off the round down. Still there nearly on top of the Hampton Bridge tunnel AFAIK. Heck of a first hour of the first day of deployment.

We rode through a hurricane and one of the spotting dollies was tied with a single chain, making a near complete circle around chain as the ship heaved. I tried to lasso it a few times and then decided wasn't worth an injury and not my circus or monkey.

One deployment we kept a log of dollar value that the yellow shirt handlers crunched since the parts all came to my shop. Several months we gave up, north of 4 million damage just from day to day moves.
On

[MechAg94]

So do the Houthi's get credit for taking out an F-18 Super Hornet plus a tug?  Not directly. 

[K Frame]

Only my testicles. But I'd say they're more valuable than expensive.

[Bogie]

I had no idea that this group had so many squidwards... Back when y'all were seeing the world on your boaty things, were any of y'all on the Ike? One of my college roomies was senior chief air traffic control...

[tokugawa]

How on earth (or sea) can a carrier maneuver quick enough to evade an air attack?

[WLJ]

How on earth (or sea) can a carrier maneuver quick enough to evade an air attack?

Sometimes to unmask defensive batteries and/or to get out of the way of another ship's batteries and/or put that other ship in between the carrier and the missile/drone. Plus some of these drones are slow and 30+ knots can put some extra distance between you and it. Not much but every little bit helps and increases the engagement window.

[dogmush]

Carriers are faster and more nimble than you'd think. Not like a RIB, but significantly better than a cargo ship of similar size.

It also depends a lot on what's coming at them.

[Angel Eyes]

https://x.com/FahCubeItches/status/1917028284757352511

[BobR]

How on earth (or sea) can a carrier maneuver quick enough to evade an air attack?

Doing a 30 to 40 degree zig or zag at near top speed will give a 10 to 15 degree heel (lean) and a lateral movement of 100 to 200 yds. Like was said, for what they are they are sort of nimble.

bob

[HeroHog]

On a drill, I've seen a carrier LEAVE the rest of the battlegroup!

[Ben]

I never would have put the words "carrier" and "nimble" together. The only ships that I have been on were all the opposite of nimble. Do carriers make those maneuvers with only engines and props, or is there a thruster system or something that helps kick them into turns faster?

[BobR]

I never would have put the words "carrier" and "nimble" together. The only ships that I have been on were all the opposite of nimble. Do carriers make those maneuvers with only engines and props, or is there a thruster system or something that helps kick them into turns faster?

I think the take away is "nimble for what it is". It is a big boat yet it can get off of base course pretty quickly. AFAIK they do not have thrusters on carriers, I am unsure of the Ford class but I don't think so. Here is a video showing a big boat out in the ocean doing turns. The first 90 seconds is about all that is relevant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtkpDV6Gq0c

Here is a newsweek article showing a carrier making a turn that was captured by a satellite.

https://www.newsweek.com/satellite-image-shows-us-carrier-that-lost-plane-making-dramatic-turn-2065407


bob

[WLJ]

I think the take away is "nimble for what it is". It is a big boat yet it can get off of base course pretty quickly. AFAIK they do not have thrusters on carriers, I am unsure of the Ford class but I don't think so. Here is a video showing a big boat out in the ocean doing turns. The first 90 seconds is about all that is relevant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtkpDV6Gq0c

bob

Was getting ready to post that very same video.
At the 1:00 mark note the white water path

[MechAg94]

At some point, I saw video from the desk of the Enterprise maneuvering during an air attack in WWII.  You could see the desk heal over pretty good compared to the surrounding sea. 

[MechAg94]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t08KKCRn5k

In this video footage from WWII, there are moments you can see the deck is angled over as it turns.