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Last Updated: Mon Jan 27 11:18:09 UTC 2014







 CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson / CVW-15

“The Cold War: Snapshot of a Supercarrier


Photographic Essay APA-PE-2010-0801



by Dr Carlo Kopp
August, 2010
Text © 2010 Carlo Kopp
Photographic and lineart images © 1984 - 2010 Carlo Kopp
 


Grumman F-14A Tomcat #206 of VF-111 in low visibility camouflage, but with full colour unit livery.


The CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson is the third of the Nimitz class nuclear powered “Supercarriers”. It was commissioned in 1982. Since then it has embarked CVW-3, CVW-8, CVW-9, CVW-11, CVW-14, and CVW-15, and been homeported at NAS Alameda near San Francisco, Bremerton / Puget Sound near Seattle, and NAS North Island near San Diego.

A Pacific home ported carrier, the Vinson has been frequently deployed into the Indian Ocean, and participated in  Operations Southern Watch and Desert Strike. Its greatest combat achievement to date was its 72 day sustained effort during the late 2001 bombing of Al Qaeda and Taliban ground forces in Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, embarking CVW-11.

Most of the imagery in this photoessay was produced by the author in  late 1984, during the USS Carl Vinson's  first visit to Fremantle. Additional imagery was produced during a subsequent visit.


Notes:

  1. CVN-70 History @ Navy.mil; CVN-70 Home Page @ Navy.mil
  2. Imagery: 35 mm by author using Exakta VX500 / Meyer-Optik Görlitz 50mm f2.8 Auto Domiplan,  Praktica DTL-3 35 mm SLR, Kodachrome 25 and Ektachrome 64, scanned using Nikon 5000ED, retouched/corrected/cropped and reduced; 6 x 4.5 medium format by author using Mamiya 645/1000S / 80 mm f/2.8 using Kodak Vericolor III Pro Type SKodak Gold 100, scanned using Noritsu QSS, retouched/corrected/cropped and reduced.
CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson



CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson anchored off Fremantle in December, 1984
.



CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson anchored off Fremantle in December, 1984.



CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson anchored off Fremantle in December, 1984.



Superstructure, CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson anchored off Fremantle in December, 1984.





Above, below, Phalanx CIWS on CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson.





CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson Mk.29 RIM-7H/M Sea Sparrow launcher and a pair of Mk.95 CW illuminators, photographed during a much later deployment with CVW-3 (Author using M645/1000S Sekor C 80 mm).

CVBG Escorts



The CG-18 USS Worden, a Leahy class AAW cruiser employed to provide area defence for the CVBG, during the 1984/1985 deployment.







Above, below: Forward RIM-67B/C Standard SM-2ER semi-active homing long range SAM Mk.10 launchers.





View of aft RIM-67B/C Mk.10 launchers, and AN/SPG-55B long range tracking and illumination radar antennas.



Detail of AN/SPG-55B long range tracking and illumination radar antennas (US Navy).





CG-18 USS Worden (US Navy).



The CG-50 Valley Forge and CG-65 Chosin Ticonderoga class cruisers during a much later deployment (Author using M645/1000S Sekor C 80 mm).



CG-50 Valley Forge SPY-1 Aegis ESA. Note the subarray edges visible on this image (Author using M645/1000S Sekor C 80 mm).



Above, below: CG-50 Valley Forge Mk.26 rail launcher for SM-2MR SAMs. Note above the forward pair of Raytheon/RCA AN/SPG-62 tracking and CW illumination radars for SM-2MR SAM terminal guidance, above the bridge  (Author using M645/1000S Sekor C 80 mm).





CG-65 Chosin Ticonderoga class cruiser forward deck Mk.41 VLS installation (Author using M645/1000S Sekor C 80 mm).



CG-65 Chosin Ticonderoga class cruiser aft Raytheon/RCA AN/SPG-62 tracking and CW illumination radars for SM-2MR SAM terminal guidance (Author using M645/1000S Sekor C 80 mm).

 CVW-15




Grumman F-14A Tomcat / VF-51 Screaming Eagles


Grumman F-14A Tomcat of VF-51 in low visibility camouflage.


Grumman F-14A Tomcat of VF-51 in low visibility camouflage.



Grumman F-14A Tomcat / VF-111 Sundowners


Grumman F-14A Tomcat #204 of VF-111 in low visibility camouflage, also with full colour unit livery. To the right, a RIM-7 Sea Sparrow semi-active homing SAM launcher for terminal ASCM defence.



Above, below: Grumman F-14A Tomcat #204 of VF-111 in detail.




Grumman F-14A Tomcats of VF-111 in low visibility camouflage, one in low contrast, the other in full colour livery. To the right, the tail of a VQ-1 EA-3B Skywarrior.



Aft view of Grumman F-14A Tomcat of VF-111 in low visibility camouflage.


Lockheed S-3A Viking / VS-29 Vikings



Lockheed S-3A Viking ASW aircraft of VS-29.


Grumman E-2C Hawkeye / VAW-114 Hawks



The Grumman E-2C Hawkeye is a critical ISR asset for the CVBG.


Douglas EA-3B Skywarrior / VQ-1 World Watchers



Above, below, an EA-3B Skywarrior ELINT aircraft of VQ-1. These highly capable reconnaissance aircraft were retired after the fall of the Soviet Union.




LTV A-7E Corsair II / VA-22 Fighting Redcocks


Above, below, a pair of VA-22 LTV A-7E Corsair II aircraft in low contrast camouflage. The upper is in two tone  classic camouflage, the lower in newer wraparound single grey.




Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King / HS-4 Black Knights



A Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King of HS-4 stowed.




Sunset on the flight deck.
 








Imagery Sources: © 1984 - 2010 Carlo Kopp; US Navy, US DoD




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