“IF YOU TAKE ONE MORE PICTURE,
I PERSONALLY WILL THROW YOU OVER THE SIDE!”

During the Korean War in 1953, I was a United States Navy Aerial Photographers Mate, 3rd Class. My assigned ship was the USS Yorktown CVA 10. It was a good ship with Captain Arnold McKecknie as the Skipper and Commander Robert Johnson as the Executive Officer. Our reputation with the 7th Fleet off Korea was unsurpassed. We were known as a Fighter, a Feeder and a Task Force Leader.

My assigned duty was Flight Deck Photographer. I was position on the flight deck whenever flight operations were being held. Aboard the Yorktown, we had flight operations from early morning until darkness. At night we launched Night Fighters to patrol the skies. This patrol was necessary to supplement our shipboard Radar screens. The night fighters carried special Radar to high altitudes to scan over the horizon, far beyond the capabilities of shipboard equipment. The aircraft were specially equipped Banshees.

These night fighters were generally launched in the evening and had capacity for extra fuel to permit them to remain airborne all night, landing at dawn. One very dark night with moderate seas, shortly after launch, one of the Banshee Night Fighters developed a minor problem that necessitated returning to the Yorktown.

Landing an aircraft on a carrier in the daylight with smooth seas is a hazardous undertaking. There are many dangerous sit5uations involved. It has been said, “the flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the most dangerous place in the world to work.” the pilot must position is aircraft in the landing pattern correctly, he must make his approach to the ship at the proper speed, altitude and attitude. The Landing Signal Officer will guide the pilot visually by using paddles to proper position over the flight deck. Any deviation from the proper position will prompt the LSO to give the pilot the “Wave Off.”

The wave off means the pilot must make another attempt. In a successful landing, one the pilot can walk away from, the tail hook will catch the Number Three wire of the arresting gear. The plane will stop at the proper spot to enable the flight deck personnel to unhook the aircraft from the wire. The plane will be taxied to its proper spot.

There were a multitude of things that could go wrong, especially on the F2H-2 Banshee fighter flying over water (Neg#: D4E-271984)straight flight deck carrier before the angled deck design. In addition to the variation of the aircraft attitude before actual landing, there was the possibility of the tail hook not being lowered. This would permit the aircraft, traveling over one hundred twenty miles per hour, to plunge into the nylon barriers. Or the lowered hook could miss all the arresting wires and still plummet into the barriers. Usually the barriers were enough to stop the aircraft, but if there were any bombs or rockets sill attached to the wings, they would detach and skitter down the flight deck. The personnel working forward of the barriers would need to be alert for this possibility at all times.

Most of the time the aircraft would be very low on high octane fuel. But not all the time. A burst fuel tank would cause spillage. The wood flight deck was not only flammable, but the cracks between the wood strips would permit fuel to seep down into the compartments below. A large spillage would put the ship in grave danger. The trained regular flight deck personnel were knowledgeable of the potential dangers. A Photographers Mate would be unaware of such a situation.

As the Banshee approached the flight deck, something went wrong. The hook did not catch the arresting wires. The fuel laden aircraft plunged into the nylon barriers, breaking them to pieces. The force of the heavy aircraft was too much for its airframe. The Banshee broke in two, spilling hundreds of gallons of high octane jet fuel onto the flight deck.

In the Navy, the closest person to God was the Warrant Officer. the Zoompersons who held these exalted positions were enlisted men who had risen through the ranks and attained the rank of WO. These officers were held in great esteem not only by the fellow enlisted men but also by the Line (Commissioned by Congress) Officers. The result of this unique position was they had complete control over any assignment they were given.
 

The highest rank of Warrant Officer was Chief Warrant Officer. For the enlisted men who reported to him, most believe he could spit fire, command the weather and walk on water. The men who did not work for him remained a respectful distance. These Warrant Officers were unofficially called “Chief Boats’n.”

Chief Boat’s G.A. Lentz ruled the flight deck of the USS Yorktown CVA-10. Lentz was a lean, tough six feet four inches. His very presence commanded respect and obedience from all about him. His voice could be heard above the heavy throbbing of radial engines or shrieking jet exhaust. If one of his deck hands did well, he would just nod approval. If a “hand” made a wrong move and possibly endangered himself or others, the roar of Chief Boats’n Lentz would be heard loud and clear! He was the supreme commander of the USS Yorktown flight deck!

The Chief Boats'n was someone a Photo Mate 3rd Class would stay clear of.

As the Banshee stopped careering down the flight deck and came to a stop in what was left of the nylon barriers, the crash crew and medical corpsmen (“Corpsmen”)came streaming out from the safety of the steel superstructure where they had run when seeing the aircraft deviate from a proper landing approach. The Crash Crew rolled out the hoses and began to cover the aircraft with fire retardant foam. The corpsmen  ran to the cockpit to aid the injured pilot. It seemed sailors appeared from everywhere to control the possibility of fire and to get the pilot safely out of the situation. The damage to the aircraft included ruptured fuel tanks. Jet fuel was pouring all over the deck. Men were rushing about.

Some sailors were very afraid, but they were all doing their jobs, regardless of the potential of a major disaster. 

picture: Don Cole ON FAR LEFT w/ knife in hand- earlier cutting through nylon barrier, V-7 Division}

At this point in time, I arrived at the scene, clutching my black Anniversary 4X5 Speed Graphic camera. While balancing myself on the deck slippery with foam, I inserted a Press 22 flashbulb (about the size of a 200 watt light bulb) into the Graflex flashgun and tripped the shutter. After making the phone, I inserted the dark slide to enable me to reverse the film holder for another exposure.

I heard a deep rumble.

I looked up from my camera to be surprised by staring into the face of an apparition far beyond momentary comprehension. Above me in the dark night sky was the raging facial expression of a very angry Devil! I was the object of its rage. I could not comprehend why was being set upon. The screaming of the enraged image before and above me was screaming;

"DON’T TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE. THE FLASHBULB MIGHT EXPLODE AND BLOW UP THE SHIP!

I innocently asked, “What?”

The form finally took the shape of Chief Boat’n Lentz’ face, contorted by fury and screaming again. “DON’T TAKE ANOTHER PICTURE! THE FLASH BULB MIGHT EXPLODE AND IGNITE THE JET FUEL ALL OVER THE DECK.” In my moment of devotion to duty as a Photographer’s Mate Third Class of the United States Navy, I stood a full five feet nine inches tall and one hundred and forty pounds and replied;

"SIR, it is my DUTY to take pictures!”

With the roar of the ship’s machinery, the shrieking of other jets being moved out of the area, the yelling back and forth of the crash crew and the medical corpsmen and other noise, Chief Boats’ns roar came loud and clear enough to be heard to the seventh level of the superstructure. His voice came from deep inside him with;

“IF YOU TAKE ONE MORE PICTURE, I PERSONALLY WILL THROW YOU OVER THE SIDE!”

The next day when my Chief of the Photolab came in and said softly, “I hear you had a bit of trouble on the flight deck with Chief Boats’n Lentz.”

The Photo Chief was smiling. But I wasn’t.

Nearly 60 years later, the threat of being thrown overboard, from the flight deck of the USS Yorktown at night, is still a vivid recollection.

Get the entire 160 page book OVER THE SIDE by Richard G. Wells contact him at 428 Melrose Lane, Mt. Morris Michigan, 48458   (810) 686 6432 




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