DESTROYERS

WITH WINGS
Early in WW II, the Navy modified three new Fletcher-class destroyers to carry catapult-launched seaplanes.
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USS Pringle (DD-477) was one of three new Fletcher-class destroyers experimentally fitted with a catapult and a Vought OS2U-3 Kingfisher seaplane for about four-months in 1943. After shipping the catapult and replacing all of her standard weaponry. Pringle was later sunk by a kamikazes bomb at Okinawa in 1945. By then this honored tin can had been awarded ten Battle Stars.

---------------------------------------------n a wartime letter to his mother, Signalman 3C Tommy Adamo succinctly expressed his feelings about a recently concluded bold Naval experiment aboard his ship even though his mother had not the vaguest idea what her devoted son was talking about: Well, were finally rid of that contemptible rig, Mom. They just carted away the last of that knuckle-busting

catapult yesterday and soon well be free of all that explosive gasoline too. Also, well get back the sorely missed guns we shipped to make room for that flimsy awful seaplane. You cant believe what a waste of manpower and effort this whole experiment has been. Talk about a typical Navy foul-up! The entire crew is relieved, including the officers, and me too. Enough now. Love Tommy. The undisclosed subject of Tommys V-mail home was nothing less than the quiet finale to the U. S. Navys early-1943 attempt to fit Vought OS2U Kingfisher seaplanes to six of its brand-new 2050-ton Fletcher-class destroyers. Like all too many hasty wartime inspirations, many in the fleet felt the project had been doomed to fail. First off, the idea had been tried back in the 1920s when destroyers were still little more than overgrown torpedo boats and airplanes were covered in doped linen. The concept failed then and it would fail in 1943 even though single-engine seaplanes were now made mostly of metal and the Fletchers were fast proving to be a most remarkable new class of warship. However, what the protagonists failed to take into account was President Franklin Delano Roosevelts hearty endorsement of the project. In fact, some circles declared it was FDR himself who had thought up the scheme after noticing how fleet-footed the lithe new destroyers could be next to cumbersome cruisers and battleships. Always a fan of warships performance, FDR, who usually occupied special quarters aboard a heavy cruiser while on A typical Vought OS2U Kingfisher seaplane official voyages of state to visit Americas wartime Allies, noted that he thought it would be most effective for destroyers to carry a seaplane for advanced scouting and additionally have the capacity to quickly scurry VIPs like himself away from trouble in case his cruiser was disabled. The idea caught on (and why wouldnt it with FDRs weighty sanctions?) However no one seemed to stop to consider how the disabled President, who was confined to leg braces, crutches and got around in a wheel chair, might

be safely transported from his well-secured cruiser cabin to the towering complexity of a threestory-high seaplane attached to a swaying aircraft catapult. The Presidents convictions aside, the project was quicken drawn-up and given official approval. In truth, the idea had been proposed and promptly forgotten in April 1940 when the Bureau of Construction and Repair submitted two sketches to the General Board outlining possible ways to mount seaplane catapults on destroyer sterns or mid-sections. The proposal went far enough to soon see a small experimental seaplane launched via catapult from the flush deck WW I era Tin can USS Noa (DD343). It was the successful result of Noas test that ultimately prompted SECNAVs later approval of the six-ship destroyer/carrier program. Still numbed from the shock of the surprise attack on Pear Harbor and faced with a drastic shortage of carriers, the idea that destroyers could be provided with long range eyes in the form of USS Noa (DD-343) with seaplane attached...for a test run. airborne scouts flying well over the horizon had immense appeal to the General Board and many high-ranking admirals. Anything that could forestall or avoid a surprise attack was worth studying regardless of how outlandish it may have seemed. At that time in 1943, the Navy was trying to standardize its catapult seaplanes on the well-proven, all-metal two-place Vought OS2U Kingfisher which it was claimed could be safely flown from a destroyer even though it did not feature folding wings for deck stowage like the older still favored Curtiss SOC biplanes. In fact, while the 376-ft destroyer only had a 39-ft 8-in beam, the entire handling apparatus emulated a more compact version of the cruiser/battleships normal launch-andrecovery procedure. Appropriately scaled down to accommodate the destroyers smaller size, it was felt the proven Retrieving the seaplane after its landing called Kingfisher with is reliable P&W R-985 for a complex evolution requiring fairly calm radial engine could in all respects emulate its seas, a physically well-coordinated pilot and a performance with the cruiser and battleship bevy of agile deck hands who helped get the squadron. This included a ship-towed sea plane onto its sea sled, out of the water and sled which the pilot would taxi up to and then back into its firing cradle on the catapult. hook onto upon landing. The sled helped to stabilize the seaplane while the pilot or rear observer attached the cranes bridle so it could be raise from the water.

The projects designers major consideration was the installation of a portable crane by which to life the seaplane from the sea and back onto the catapult after each mission. Because of its size and interference with the torpedo tubes, the crane had to be able to be erected and disassembled in record time and stowed on deck when the seaplane was not in use. While ship planners, tacticians and Naval aviators studied the merits of the concept, destroyer crews looked at the modifications with little concealed disdain. For starts, the destroyer was forced to land one set of its twin mounts of five 21-in torpedo tubes. Further helping to avoid top heaviness, the third of its five 5-in/38 gun mounts had to be removed along with the small aft deck house. Added, was provision for a spare parts bay and ammunition magazine for the seaplane and its machine guns and depth charges, its towing sled, a 2,000-gal avgas fuel tank, and accommodation for two pilots, a catapult officer, and eight enlisted aviation specialists. Through adroit use of critical space, all of these attributes were shoe-horned into the first three vessels selected for the hush-hush program - USS Pringle (DD-477), USS Stevens (DD-479), and USS Halford (DD-480).

USS Halford (DD-480) seen in 1943 with her catapult replacing her aft 5-in gun and second set of torpedo tubes. The destroyers proved to the powers that were they were far too lively at sea to safely accommodate seaplane operations. With the conversion of the first three units well under way, the Navy wisely decided to hold off modifying the other ships until the initial trio could be fully evaluated. Nevertheless, by mid-year, the three experimental vessels were fully in service and busy testing the concept at sea. Pilots were randomly detached from cruiser squadrons and reassigned to the specially-equipped destroyers with wings. Needless to say, the destroyermen were not overjoyed to see the airdales come aboard. Nor were their concerns wholly unjustified, for many black shoe sailors felt just having an airplane aboard was more of a liability than an asset. To begin with, they disliked the idea that their offensive and defensive firepower had been reduced nearly 25% to accommodate an unwieldy airplane with two .30-cal machine guns. And what practical good could there be in spotting an enemy ship column that was at best steaming at flank speed 3-hrs away? The too, they mostly feared their cans - built as fighting greyhounds - might miss out on the real action because they would be forced to give priority to the scout planes restrictive operational needs, which were many and varied. For instance, in rough water, the destroyer was forced to circle about to help smooth the waves for the seaplane to land. Routine aircraft maintenance also could be a problem when mechanics tried to work on the Kingfisher on a destroyers unsteady decks.

Of greater concern was the sailors awareness that even all-metal airplanes with their abundance of volatile lubricants and gasoline had a proclivity to burn and bluejackets loathed fire. These concerns were not entirely new and most had been handed down from veterans cruiser crewmen who had long been divided over the worth of flying scouts and spotters Further exacerbating the You can clearly see the sea sled as this Kingfisher gets ready to get situation was the snared by one of the destroyers. common feeling that a Fletchers flush deck with its low freeboard was just too small from which to safely operate a seaplane in all manner of sea conditions. Subsequent test by the three destroyers tended to prove this contention to be more than a little valid. With the launching and recovery cycle being so critical, we simply flew very little, stated 88-yr old pioneer destroyer aviator Bob Schiller at a 2006 Lake Tahoe convention of destroyer Halford (DD-480) crewmen. A survivor of the sinking of the USS Astoria (CA-34), Schiller had begun his Naval flight training at Pensacola in 1940. Soon winning his wings, he hoped to become a fighter pilot, but instead found himself assigned to cruiser aviation flying the SOC-3 Seagull. After completing his 30-day survivors leave, Bob found himself assigned to a Kingfisher squadron based at March Field, in North Bend, Oregon. Good morning, skipper. Mind telling which ship Ive drawn? Bob inquired. Its the brand new Puget Sound-built USS Halford! The officer drawled. Great! Is she a light or heavy cruiser? he eagerly asked. No, shes a destroyer, the Co snapped........DD480. A destroyer! Sir, destroyers do not carry airplanes, Bob insisted. Son, they do now! The officer adamantly advised. Bob grinned nostalgically as he went on to further reminisce. Our primary role was to spot gunfire, not scouting as Id been led to believe. But from the captain to the mess men, my greeting was far from an enthusiastic welcome aboard. On our shakedown cruise off San Diego, I got a pretty good clue as to what I was in for. Takeoffs were a snap provided everone did what the rule book suggested. I once took a full commander up for a ride in the back seat. He refused to wear a helmet so the sudden acceleration of going from zero to 75-mph blew off his expensive gold-braided hat. Was he pissed as flew off into the brink!

But landings were where the fun happened. Every single one was a new adventure. I soon learned the entire crew took bets to wager if Id fall into the water every time I tried to latch up to the cranes hook so we could be hoisted back aboard after landing. The trick was to taxi up to this towed sled and attach to it via hooks on the bottom of our main float. Then the fun started because either me or my observer had to stand in our seat and precariously try to catch that swaying bridle while the plane pitched and bobbed in the sea. Once you attached the hook, you generally had it made because the crew used long gaffs to steady the plane as the crane carefully hoisted it up and back onto its catapult cradle. Yes, I went over the side more than once, but happily the crew was there to fish me out of the water. The whole takeoff and landing evolution was so time consuming and dangerous we didnt fly any more than we absolutely had to. Our skipper, Capt. Johansen, tried to be enthusiastic about our project and scheduled a lot of demo flights for visiting VIPs as we went about our daily routine, usually escorting convoys and conducting ASW sweeps out of Pearl Harbor. Johansen especially liked to impress admirals with our new eyes, but other than on those occasions, to the crews relief, we seldom flew. A Kingfisher hooked by onboard crane to be placed back After several escort on the rack for another flight. missions in the war zone, including aiding HMS Victorious get from New Caledonia to Pearl Harbor, Halford next joined a fast-moving task force of carriers and cruisers in raids on Marcus and Wake Island. By the time she escorted a tanker to Midway from the South Pacific, Halford had become an often discussed celebrity at officer clubs where she was considered and interesting novelty, but otherwise of no practical use other than as a warship which had traded 25% of its firepower in return for services more easily provided by ships built-for-the-purpose of scouting, spotting, and hunting submarines. Schiller was not surprised when, in the fall of 1943, Halford was ordered back to San Franciscos Mare Island to have its catapult removed and her weaponry reinstalled. So ended a somewhat abbreviated attempt to place airplanes aboard destroyers. The concept proved to be more trouble than any benefits gained for, by that time in the war, new carriers were fast being launched which provide the Navy with the far-seeing airborne eyes predicted to make a destroyers role more diversified. It was a failed noble experiment that proved to be just not work the overall benefits, summed up Schiller, who was soon reassigned to a Seattle Naval Air Station where he began flying the FM-2 Wildcat from the escort carrier USS Saginaw Bay (CVE82) with Composite Squadron VC-78. After a combat tour in the South Pacific, Schiller became an instructor pilot at Sanford, Florida. Following the war, he married, became a businessman, and never flew again.

As for the destroyers modified to carry seaplanes, all three were soon ordered to land their aviation equipment after four-months of experimental flying operations. USS Halford was awarded 13 Battle Stars after sinking four Japanese merchant ships, shooting down four planes, and assisting in the sinking of the battleship Yamashiro in Surigao Strait. Luckily, Halford never lost a man in combat. Sister-ship USS Stevens was awarded nine Battle Stars and USS Pringle was unfortunately sunk by a kamikaze off Okinawa on 16 April 1945. Out of her crew of 386 men, 265 survived to fight another day. So ended a unique wartime experiment that proved to be somewhat ahead of its time. Ultimately, the helicopter proved to be far more compatible flying accompaniment to destroyers as evidenced by the universal flight decks seen on virtually all of todays Naval ships. The Pringle, Halford, and Stevens were game pioneers who proved exactly what could and could not be accomplished on a fighting destroyers deck.

-------------------------END cshortridge@comcast.net