WWII ESSEX CLASS CARRIER, AIRCRAFT ELEVATOR INFO.

Dear Pete,
The NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS, a publishing company, has or plans to reissue a book from their Anatomy of the Ship series.
The title is "The aircraft carrier INTREPID", by John Roberts.
If you buy, rent, or can check out a copy, then on pages 74 and 75 are drawings (E7)of the bow and stern elevators. They are hydralic, the bow has two repeat two cylinders placed left and right, and the stern elevator has two cylinders placed fore and aft. Page 79, drawing (G3/1 thru G3/3) are drawings of the deck edge elevator. The text for the drawings (G3/1 thru G3/5) are located on page 80. The Naval Institute Press does have a web-site, try that name in/on your search engine, or goto one of your favorite hobby websites and see if they carry the book.

Pete,
I recently observed the deck edge elevator being lowered and raised aboard the U.S.S. Lexington. Believe it or not, it was powered by a heavy pulley system and powered by hand! The pulley system is encased by a bulkhead and cannot be seen. There is a round wheel located on the hanger bay bulkhead just forward of the elevator and when it is turned, the elevator raises or lifts. I was incredulous when I saw one man operate the elevator by turning a crank wheel, so I asked the staff. They told me it was the original set up from WW2 and had not been changed since. I saw the elevator lift a cherry picker and a pick up truck to the flight deck. I would not have believed it unless I saw it.
Best,
Rick Throckmorton

I guess that's why you have...what, three books out now?? LMAO!!

C'ya at West Point!!

Jeff

Hiya Jeff -

'Warship Perspectives Fletcher, Gearing and Sumner Class Destroyers in WW2' - Biiiiiiig Book Title - Little weenie! They say you always make up for your inadaquacies somewhere....TYS Bud.....

Oh Oh Oh Oh!! Mr. Arnold!!! please!!!

Can you send me your autograph tooo pleeeeeese???

Your Fellow WR press author,

Jeff Herne
'Warship Perspectives Fletcher, Gearing and Sumner Class Destroyers in WW2'
Asst. Editor, Modelwarships.com

Hi guys - If anyone needs a high res scan on the underside of the carrier elevators in "Warship Persectives, Essex Class A/C in WWII" by Glenn Arnold on pages 45-46, please let me know and I'll be happy to send them out - I can guarantee you they will be the highest quality scans available and the exact ones used to create the book (whe you are the author, you get to keep stuff like that!) - email me @ growlrr@aol.com and I'll send them out - a warning though - they are BIG (usually over 50MB per)....Glenn R Arnold

I have never ever seen a picture of how the inside the deck elevators look. If you find a picture, please post. Best guess though is kind f the way they are depicted in the kit. giant rods going up and down as they would want to maximise space in the hanger deck

I am building the Trumpy Essex and I have bought every reference (seven) I can find. The best single photo reference for your needs IMHO is "Warship Persectives, Essex Class A/C in WWII" by Glenn Arnold. It should be found at most serious hobby stores (it is sometimes hit-or-miss depending on stock). Pages 45-46 have beautiful shots of the deck side elevator in the folded and deployed positions.

Chris

Thanks for the info I will have a look at 'navsource' just incase as well. Some one designed and built these elevators, the info must be somewhere?????.
Regards
Pete

I just checked my Cruise Book, and the help would be very limited I'm afraid

I can't help you with the center deck elevators, but the deck edge elevators were the same one's used on the "Iwo Jima" class LPH's of the early 60's. I have some photos that were in my "Med Cruise" Book from the early 80's on the Guadalcanal. Also www.navsource.org might have some too.