Heavy Metal
- Thread starter amazinblue82
- Start date
I took these pictures years ago while I was in Hartford for a 3-day meeting. Had some 8 hours before my return flight, and a rental car, so I took a drive, Was greatly pleased to come across "Battleship Cove" in Massachusetts.
67newport
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The aircraft carrier Sydney returns to Sydney Harbor after the fighting in Korea. 1952
67newport
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67newport
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American bomber YB-49
67newport
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El Toro of the 446th Bomb Group at RAF Bungay, 1944
67newport
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USS America (LHA 6) conducts F-35 operations in the Philippines Sea
YB-49 .. flying wing. story is here somewhere -- another magnificent machine for its and any era as to ingenuity/brains of smart, motivated people.
long-ish vid (24 mins) but interesting.
3175375
Senior Member
I got to see the N9MB fly at Point Mugu years ago. It was a test mule for the larger ones.
What ship is that? With a "Q Turret" it's clearly a WWI Dreadnought.
67newport
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67newport
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HMS Illustrious (R-06/L)
67newport
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Crewmen refuel a J-3C from a roadside gas station during maneuvers in Louisiana, 1941
67newport
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Aircraft carrier Akagi of the imperial Japanese navy with B1M and B2M planes onboard (1934)
67newport
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One of the most famous, or infamous, depending on your point of view, F-105D was known as Pussy Galore. This aircraft was flown by Captain Victor “Vic” Vizcarra.
According to an interesting post appeared on Reddit, the original Pussy Galore I marking was painted in July 1965. The idea came about as an inside joke for the KC-135 tanker crews, especially the boom operators who had trouble putting the boom into the receptacle so Capt. Vizcarra painted Pussy Galore right on the nose so that her umm………”Strategic Part” was right over the receptacle! She was named after the female executive pilot to the evil Goldfinger in the James Bond film of the same name.
The first meeting between Ms. Galore and the tankers did not end well. The pilot (not Vizcarra) told the tanker crew that “she” was a virgin and this is “her” first time. The boom operator mistook the phrase as this the first in-flight refuel for the pilot and talked him all the way in, much to the bemusement of all the Thud pilots involved. No mention was made of Galore, much to their disappointment.
Here’s why the Infamous F-105 Pussy Galore was an Incredible Morale Booster
Subsequent flights proved to be much more entertaining. The instant Ms. Galore showed up, there were cries of “SHE’S HERE!” and Vic can see crews crowding the boom operator window for a view, with camera flashes going off also. There were snickers when the boom operator inserted the boom into Galore’s “Strategically Positioned” receptacle, completing the equivalent of an umm….ohh yeah! After coming off the boom, there were cries of, “Was that good for you?” “Ok, just how much did it cost me this time?” “Take good care of her now!” and “God damn it! There goes another 100 bucks down the drain!” can be heard. There were quite a few laughter, snickering and smiles from both sides at those. Alas, it all came to an end eventually.
The original Pussy Galore was shot down in 1967 during a dreaded trip “downtown” with the pilot missing (not Vic). By that time, she had switched from a silver painted finish to the common three toned South-East Asian finish with sadly, Ms. Galore painted over. By that time, Vic had already painted a Pussy Galore II in October 1966. This F-105D came in the standard three-toned SE camo. To get permission, Vic had to jump through three hoops in order to get permission to do Pussy Galore II. It proved just as a big hit with the tankers as Pussy Galore I.
Unfortunately, this plane also did not make it. During the bombing lull ordered by LBJ in 1968, Pussy Galore II was sent over to Taiwan for a needed major maintenance and overhaul operation. Unfortunately, she was involved in a major ground collision accident and became a total write-off.
The marking itself though, didn’t last that long. It was found out by the new Wing commander three weeks after application. The commander was Robert Scott, a WW II war hero and great pilot. He immediately went apoplectic ape S_____ and ordered Galore removed on the spot! Thus ending the Pussy Galore story
67newport
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T-37A light tank suspended under TB-3 bomber, 1936.
67newport
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An aerial view of the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) and the British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal (R09) tied up at piers at Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia (USA), maybe between 14 and 21 August 1978.
67newport
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1918 USS Arizona
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USS South Dakota in Puget Sound, Washington, United States, 21 August 1944.
67newport
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Battleship USS Iowa, San Francisco Bay - 1951
