Air and Space Photos from Alternate Worlds.
- Thread starter wingman
- Start date
In a more serious vein, it was found to be a serious problem that many top military brass were missing both significant battles, and the planning that went into them, due to spending too much time on extended fishing trips to northern Canada. To resolve this issue, a contract was tendered to the Vought Corporation for a faster vehicle capable of carrying brass and boats on their fishing jaunts. Rex Beisel put pen to paper, interrupting some work on a fighter prototype, and came up with the OF4U-1, which was quickly put into production. The aircraft came to be noticed for its potential combat value, but it was pointed out that U.S forces possessed far too large a force of SeaBees, who would end up fishing instead of building airstrips, and the entire program was hushed up. In the end, its existence is virtually unknown, except by very high officials and a few Northern Pike.
Curtiss OZC Seafin Airship Scout/Reconnaissance fighter.
A modestly scaled-down adaptation by BuAER of the experimental 1934 Curtiss XF13C-1 sesquiplane fighter. Seafins comprised the main complement of US Navy ZRS airships during the Second World War and also served in small numbers on the larger ZRCV airships. The high-wing configuration made the Seafin an ideal reconnasiance and scout aircraft for airship use, especially after the heavy retractable landing gear was removed in place of additional fuel tanks. As a fighter, however, the Seafin was of limited value, with its paltry armament of two synchonized .30 machine guns and top speed of 289 mph. In their only documented air-to-air action, two Seafins from USS Sacramento were unable to seriously damage a lone Fw-200 Condor encountered in 1942 over the Bay of Biscay. Most service aircrews removed the armament from their Seafins, using the plane only as an unarmed scout. This particular airplane was flown by Lt. Jg. William Dunn of USS Wichita. (2010, US Naval Airships 1923-1971: A Design and Operational History, Hartley)
A modestly scaled-down adaptation by BuAER of the experimental 1934 Curtiss XF13C-1 sesquiplane fighter. Seafins comprised the main complement of US Navy ZRS airships during the Second World War and also served in small numbers on the larger ZRCV airships. The high-wing configuration made the Seafin an ideal reconnasiance and scout aircraft for airship use, especially after the heavy retractable landing gear was removed in place of additional fuel tanks. As a fighter, however, the Seafin was of limited value, with its paltry armament of two synchonized .30 machine guns and top speed of 289 mph. In their only documented air-to-air action, two Seafins from USS Sacramento were unable to seriously damage a lone Fw-200 Condor encountered in 1942 over the Bay of Biscay. Most service aircrews removed the armament from their Seafins, using the plane only as an unarmed scout. This particular airplane was flown by Lt. Jg. William Dunn of USS Wichita. (2010, US Naval Airships 1923-1971: A Design and Operational History, Hartley)
Here's a contemporary spotter playing card illustration of the main attack plane deployed from the ZRCV ships after 1943, the Grumman PBZF Harrier, basically a lightened Grumman Goose. As the war progressed and the ZRCV's became solely ASW hunter-killers rather than scouts, Harriers replaced most of the other planes assigned to the Naval Airshp Service. Harriers continued to be flown from the airships until the Naval Airship Service was disbanded in 1964.
And here's the F3A Shrike, based on a prewar Vought design, later optimized for airship service by BuAer and produced by Brewster. Although designed as fighter, the Shrike was barely more capable as a combat aircraft than the Seafin it was inteneded to replace and was less suitable for scouting and recon tasks. One reason for the Shrike's poor performance was the Navy's insistance that it retain the Vought 143's traditional landing gear, making it much heavier than it needed to be. Most Shrikes were used as training aircraft assigned to the ZRN training ships on the Pacific coast. The only air-to-air losses sustained by LTA units assigned to airships were two Shrikes, one lost to an FW-200 Condor and the other to a Ju-88. These losses, occuring only several days apart in 1942, led to the withdrawl of the F3A from combat.
And here's what carried them (illistration courtesy of CanisD)
The standard ZRCV airship. Seven ZRCvs entered service in the period 1940-42, forming the backbone of the US Naval Airship Service in the Battle of the Atlantic. Originally designed as "aerial aircraft carriers" with an offensive capability embodied in up to 10 Douglas SZBD dive bombers, most ZRCV's ended their wartime carrers as dedicated ASW ships with a reduced compliment of five or less Harriers. This particular ship is shown with the designed pre-war compliment of SZBD bombers.
The standard ZRCV airship. Seven ZRCvs entered service in the period 1940-42, forming the backbone of the US Naval Airship Service in the Battle of the Atlantic. Originally designed as "aerial aircraft carriers" with an offensive capability embodied in up to 10 Douglas SZBD dive bombers, most ZRCV's ended their wartime carrers as dedicated ASW ships with a reduced compliment of five or less Harriers. This particular ship is shown with the designed pre-war compliment of SZBD bombers.
Try this:
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=118973&highlight=zrcv+airships
I've also revised and compiled the entire thread into a "semi-published" illustrated Word document. Still incomplete. My aim is a full-scale technical history of the airships including service logs, "fake" references cited, and far better photoshopped stuff than I've managed so far. PM me and I can email it to you.
Stupid Brewster engineers. Rest assured the Navy caught this oversight and the version accepted for operational service had the trapeeze hook system redesigned so the canopy could slide all the way back.
Like any doodler, I was trying for the sketch
That is so cool and wild
I'll never have to draw another.
A Fury with a generous American-style cockpit, Spit XIV-ish tail, and an inverted gull wing a la hose-nose. I'm still working.
I like me some gull wings!
How about doing a Fw-190 with em, or didn't you already do that?
The FW190 is gullable.