A 1939 COLT Navy..

[John HOLBROOK]

What more is there to say???

[SloopJohnB]

Nice to see you back at your old tricks, John.....posting excellent photos of insanely beautiful 1911's!

[John HOLBROOK]

Hey John, you know me. I used to show up at the Reno show with beautiful guns and gorgeous women!! This one lives with me in Missoula and is going down to Houston with me to visit Gordon Bethune the 23Rd. Just an old sailor living out his golden years!

Ah, life is good!!

[Duane Hansen]

John, And I know that "Nobody has more Fun than you!" Hope to stop over in the next little while, for a visit.

[gbethu]

We're both inside the outer marker on final to the runway of life. Great flight though and….still more fun ahead. See you soon.

[kwill]

John,

Beautiful! Is that a Series 70 or 80? Glad to see you back online.

Regards,
Kevin Williams

[John HOLBROOK]

We're both inside the outer marker on final to the runway of life. Great flight though and….still more fun ahead. See you soon.

Yep I am on long final and have called the ball, however don't get to excited out there yet. It will be a long time before I check in my flight gear!!!! Hey Gordo, do you remember what that toggle switch was for on the cowl above the CP 66????

[John HOLBROOK]

John,

Beautiful! Is that a Series 70 or 80? Glad to see you back online.

Regards,
Kevin Williams

Kevin, it is good to hear from you.... I still have that NIB Colt M1911A1 that you referred me to down in Fresno, CA.... The Naval officers piece...

John

[Shooter5]

Yep I am on long final and have called the ball, however don't get to excited out there yet. It will be a long time before I check in my flight gear!!!! Hey Gordo, do you remember what that toggle switch was for on the cowl above the CP 66????

Which ship was that? Did it have a wooden deck or the newer armored flight deck?

[John HOLBROOK]

She was the Bon Homme Richard CVA-31 at Dixie Station, An Essex Class that had the 27-Charlie Conversion installed, angle deck, steam cats, heavier capacity arresting gear motors, enclosed hurricane bow and more fuel storage a tractor ramp behind the island and a plots escalator.

She still a had a wooden flight deck..... here is a typical WesPac deckload in transit West..

[Shooter5]

She was the Bon Homme Richard CVA-31 at Dixie Station, An Essex Class that had the 27-Charlie Conversion installed, angle deck, steam cats, heavier capacity arresting gear motors, enclosed hurricane bow and more fuel storage a tractor ramp behind the island and a plots escalator.

She still a had a wooden flight deck..... here is a typical WesPac deckload in transit West..

Thats neat info. Wasn't CV10 originally planned to have been named Bonnie Richard while the ship was under construction (but then it was changed after CV5 was sunk? Went aboard last year and it was a great learning experience. Another elder vet met at Kings Mountain battlefield said had flown early sub-hunters from a carrier in the early 50s before it had its deck armored and the props used to cut into the wooden deck and blow splinters everywhere! Cant recall the ship or his aircraft type...

[usmc69]

She was the Bon Homme Richard CVA-31 at Dixie Station, An Essex Class that had the 27-Charlie Conversion installed, angle deck, steam cats, heavier capacity arresting gear motors, enclosed hurricane bow and more fuel storage a tractor ramp behind the island and a plots escalator.

She still a had a wooden flight deck..... here is a typical WesPac deckload in transit West..

Father-In-Law called it the Bonnie Dick.............. He was a black shoe.

[John HOLBROOK]

Thats neat info. Wasn't CV10 originally named Bonnie Richard? Went aboard last year and it was a great learning experience. Another elder vet met at Kings Mountain battlefield said had flown early sub-hunters from a carrier in the early 50s before it had its deck armored and the props used to cut into the wooden deck and blow splinters everywhere! Cant recall the ship or his aircraft type...

CV 10 was and is the U.S. YORKTOWN and she is now a museum!!

http://www.patriotspoint.org/explore_museum/uss_yorktown/

None of the ESSEX Class were ever converted to steel flight deck, cause it would make them top heavy. The first steel flight decks were on the three MIDWAY Class, the MIDWAY, FDR and CORAL SEA.. Gordon Bethune and I spent some time together aboard the ROOSEVELT !!!



Here is a 1911 Army that went down aboard the USS CALIFORNIA at Pearl Harbor, was salvaged and assigned to VF 1 aboard the YORKTOWN later in the war...