World War II Database

1. Brian (Lofty) Harris ex tankie says:
18 Dec 2013 02:46:05 PM

Amazing a ship that tonnage could be trashed around like that. Imagine the deck cargo, planes etc. I would be badly sea sick. Poor guys. Thanks for the great pix guys. Brian in Australia

2. Anonymous says:
18 Dec 2014 02:03:35 PM

Break out the sea sickness bags��!

3.  David Stubblebine says:
21 Jul 2015 11:09:50 PM

Morison’s “History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II” captions this photo as taking place during Typhoon Cobra, 18 Dec 1944 east of the Philippines, but this is incorrect. The original Navy photo was included in the reports for Operation Gratitude (the Raid into the South China Sea) and is captioned “U.S.S. LANGLEY heels over to heavy seas at fueling rendezvous in South China Sea 13 January, 1945.” Even the Naval History and Heritage Command’s caption has been persuaded by Morison’s misidentification of this photo’s time and place as have many subsequent authors and sources (including Wikimedia).

4. Ray says:
13 Jan 2021 12:41:49 PM

The date on this can't be accurate. The Langley was abandoned and cuttled in Feb. 1942 after sustaining heavy damage by Japanese aircraft. Her escort ships sank her to keep her from falling into Japanese hands.

5.  David Stubblebine says:
13 Jan 2021 03:05:48 PM

Ray (above):
You are absolutely right. America’s first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV-1), was sunk in Feb 1942. But then later, in Nov 1942, an Independence-class carrier then under construction as USS Crown Point was renamed Langley (CVL-27). This ship went on to enjoy a very colorful career and it is this second Langley that is seen in this photo.

6. Anonymous says:
13 Jan 2022 06:58:00 AM

So why is it banking so hard?

7.  David Stubblebine says:
30 Aug 2023 05:13:35 PM

Anonymous (above):
The Independence-class carriers were prone to heavy rolls for a couple of reasons. These carriers were built on hulls originally designed for the Cleveland-class cruisers and were rushed into production with the understanding from the Bureau of Ships that their performance would be compromised in certain ways. The cruisers were designed to be broad at the waterline with a substantial armor belt that the carriers had less of. Add to that, the weight of the elevated flight deck (compared to a cruiser deck) and the carriers were a bit more top-heavy than the cruisers the hulls were designed for. The battleship USS Washington seen trailing the Langley in this photo was built more in-line with the principles of the cruisers’ designs (but with an even heavier armor belt) and so she is riding the storm on a much more even keel.