TDNs (Twin-engine Navy drone) were tested near Traverse City, Mich.
1000 -- Sounded flight quarters.
1008 -- Engines back full astern; c/c to 325° (t) and pqc
1026 -- Launched plane TDN-2
1027 -- Plane TDN-2 crashes in water on starboard quarters, distance 1000 yards
1028 -- stopped engines
Would you go backwards full speed to launch planes off an aircraft carrier? The USS Sable hadn’t yet gotten a typewriter yet. And while some of the handwriting in the Deck Log is bad, the order is clearly written as full astern not full ahead.
2 comments:
Any chance you have any additional photos of the TDN or the Sable while it was in Grand Traverse Bay? I have a photo of one going into the water and am trying to find landmarks to begin a search for them.
Thanks for the post!
Jerry
My guess is that they launched these remotely piloted vehicles toward the stern while backing down because it gave them a longer deck run starting from abeam the island. If they tried launching them toward the bow, they'd have to start from aft of the tower and a loss of control (note that this one crashed albeit after takeoff) might result in a crash into the island.
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