Corrosion Control
In the above photo there are two means of dealing with the uphill battle aircraft corrosion at sea on a squadron level.Maintanance Control was continually at odds with the corrosion crew for flyable aircraft, corrosion maintenance usually lost. In the photo we have in the for ground two VF-41 F-4B's on USS Independance. the nearest one "0453" has been treated with a corrosion preventive compound MIL-C- 16173 grade 4, It came in spray cans was brown in color and smelt like crayons, this was a very temporary protective measure. The aircraft to the right has been protected with what looks to be zinc chromate similar to what I tried to replicate in my last build.
This is really a fantastic photo, Robert! We can clearly see the two different corrosion control approaches.to fight the harsh conditions. Quite amazing.
Was it common to have fighters from two different squadrons on the same ship at the same time?
Yes. Post WW2 Carrier Air Wings were organized around two or more VF squadrons depending on what they flew.
Nowadays they're all VFA squadrons and the standard air wing has 4 VFA squadrons.
Thanks , Dan @dbdlee
That’s interesting how they operate. They probably have fewer aircraft assigned than a typical AF squadron , I imagine . In my Air Guard days , we had 24 or so aircraft.
We had about twelve aircraft back then {F-4's} @ssgt.
This pictures clearly shows the differences, Robert @roofrat
Thanks for sharing.
Nice reference photo - wonder why you don't see similar photos more often of this era of aircraft...I have tons of Phantom books (my favorite aircraft) and have never noticed something this dramatic that I remember.
Very informative. Thanks for sharing this fun fact about the Phantom!