Sixty Years Ago – The Beginning of the End of an Era
23 July 1947: VF-17A becomes the Navy’s first all-jet squadron with the initial delivery of 2 x FD-1 Phantoms at NAS Quonset Point, RI and the era of props on carriers begins to close. This followed by a year, the first carrier ops of a jet with a FD-1 onboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Taking subsequent deliveries over the following year, VF-17A completed CQ onboard USS Saipan in 1948. Note the size of the Phantoms in this photo from 1948, relative to the Saipan’s deck size…
(Photo from the Naval Historical Center website)
On the West Coast, VF-5A would begin to take deliveries of the FJ Fury (an earlier Flightdeck Friday subject, BTW) later in the year with the CO and XO conducting carrier suitability trials in March 1948.
The FD/FH Phantom is a subject for an upcoming Flightdeck Friday.
Oh… and not to leave out our submarine brethern – USS Nautilus departs Pearl Harbor today in 1958 to begin her history making voyage under the polar ice cap.
It surely was the end of an era, only I can’t help but feel that much of the beauty and elegance went out of flying with the dawn of the jet age (I mean for the pilot, not the passenger). What a tremendous milestone, however, and let’s hope that we stay ahead in aviation design and technology for a long time to come.
One question that I have about the Nautilus…would it have been the first nuclear-powered submarine, or was it still diesel-powered? Thank you, sir.
Veritas et Fidelis Semper ๐
P.S. Completely unrelated, but what is the purpose of the little box under where it says “preview”? Thank you.
Veritas et Fidelis Semper
Nautilus was the first nuclear sub although it used a modification of the hull design from the conventional boats. As for the box underneath the preview tab… beats me ๐
-SJS