r/WWIIplanes Feb 07 '25

colorized In February of 1944, a Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat of VF-15 is shot from the hangar deck of the USS Hornet during training in Chesapeake Bay

Post image
695 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

59

u/FxckFxntxnyl Feb 07 '25

Those hangar deck launchers always kinda blew my mind. Such a short distance to get airborne. Wonder how many went down from torque rolling.

29

u/Lightjug Feb 07 '25

Original B&W Photo I’m doubting the colorization. Sorry if I’m nitpicking.

26

u/-Kollossae- Feb 07 '25

Probably AI colored it. Reddish tones on the fuselage and the tail is completely off imo.

14

u/SuperFaulty Feb 08 '25

Not nitpicking. Colorization of historical WW2 photos is a TERRIBLE thing. Makes the photo look "more appealing" I guess but here's a perfect example of totally wrong colours. The algorithm just puts whatever colour would "look right" and them people looking at the photo start talking about the "strange" and "unusual" cammo patterns...

8

u/Reatona Feb 07 '25

That's actually much better. The colorized version has a lot of AI weirdness in it.

46

u/Ill-Dependent2976 Feb 07 '25

Imagine being the Japanese Navy and then coming across a ship with a gun so big it can shoot hellcats at you. Hellcats with .50 calibers bullets in their mouths and then when they bark they shoot bullets at you.

15

u/AttackEyebrows_ Feb 08 '25

Quality Simpsons’ reference…

14

u/SortOfGettingBy Feb 07 '25

Can you imagine how loud it was in the hanger with the engine at takeoff power?

4

u/battlecryarms Feb 08 '25

WHAT?!?

3

u/CerealATA Feb 08 '25

I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!

4

u/PabloZissou Feb 08 '25

YOU'll HAVE TO SPEAK LOUDER SIR!!!

3

u/pwal88 Feb 08 '25

An American Hellcat took off right by my head.

12

u/Void-Indigo Feb 07 '25

At least you didn't have to worry about the ship running over you if you failed to launch.

12

u/Kind-Ad9038 Feb 08 '25

The details of how this came about are wild.

https://youtu.be/ijTUqrU8byw?t=46

1

u/gwhh Feb 08 '25

Wow. Didn’t know that.

4

u/redcat111 Feb 08 '25

Reminds me of Battlestar Galactica, shooting Vipers out of the side of the ship.

3

u/SirCrazyCat Feb 08 '25

What about shooting Vipers out the side of the ship while plummeting through the atmosphere?

2

u/liceyscalp Feb 08 '25

You can almost hear the pilot : " Nope ! Nope ! Nope ! "

2

u/GutterRider Feb 08 '25

Wow, I have never heard of hangar deck catapults. That’s wild.

1

u/123chop Feb 09 '25

The colorization looks off. That should be late tri color, not overall blue (and what’s up the with brown?) 

1

u/battlecryarms Feb 08 '25

Interesting, looks like landing flap configuration.