|
Just off VA-163 berthing area is the aft starboard gun tub. Men could
just walk out of the compartment, look at the ocean, get some air, look up at the flight deck and check on flight operations,
or just use the area for exercise. Smoking was allowed only in the compartments or on the ship's fantail (back of ship
above ship's screws).
In the previous two images the two most forward arresting cable machinery rooms
are visible. Just forward of these four arresting cable machinery rooms are the avionics black box shops. ATs
(Aviation Electronic Technician) use to troubleshoot aircraft, pull bad gear from the aircraft, carry the gear below decks,
while the ship moved through the water and rolled with the waves.
|
|
As you travel further forward on the port side, you will pass the port entrance
to the Avionics Work shops and areas, past VA-163 Saints Ready Room 3. There are random exits down to the hangar bay
area or up to the flight deck the whole length of the passage ways. Separating the compartments are watertight hatches
and "RED" lights along the whole passage way. The reason is pilots can not look at bright white light at night
when they are going to fly. It interferes with their ability to see. This is why there is no white lights on the
flight deck either, only red lights and a few flashlights.
|
|
Note below Image shows Starboard side of carrier, the
ship's electric stairway, (up and down), to carry personnel between the main deck and the flight deck. In this area
is where the ship's gangway was lowered for men to exit the ship, while in port.
Note Above Image shows Starboard side of carrier, the ship's
electric stairway, (up and down), to carry personnel between the main deck and the flight deck. This stairway was used
both by pilots and enlisted men who worked in the hangar bay, flight deck or both.
Above images show compartments, ship's forward expansion joint, "dotted line", which is labeled and runs
the width of ship (so ship can be flexible and bend in heavy waves), and forward starboard sponson, and forward aircraft
elevator no. one. Note the aircraft elevator is "not" part of the gallery deck, the gallery deck goes around
the elevator well and the elevator runs up through it.
Note: One last thing worth mentioning is in the last few sections of
the side is that catwalks and lifeboats run almost the whole length of the carrier. On the starboard side there
is a small amount of catwalk and then mostly just lifeboats are on the side of the ship. The electric stairway is on
the starboard side of the aircraft carrier, as well as bomb elevators, fuel stations. One could say that there is a
lot of activity on the starboard side and thus less room for catwalks. Portions of the catapult system are located in
the gallery deck and the hangar deck as well.
|
