Back in the wonderful 80s when Mayport had two carriers and a basin full of ships and yardbirds hated “Nested” ships, we were working on the Saratoga. Big SRA (Selected Restricted Availability), work going on throughout the whole ship. For a change, I was working out in the open air, repairing catwalks around the flight deck. Usually in summertime I’d be stuck down in the damn boiler room, seven decks down from the hangar deck and hotter than hell. Now, picture the flight deck: all four catapult tracks are completely taken apart. Tilly the Crane is in the middle of the flight deck as is our 10 ton hydraulic crane and scattered around there’s various forklifts and big tool boxes that the NAVAIR guys use to hold all their tools and supplies. We’re working over the side replacing rusted catwalk, and there’s people working on the Fresnell lens (the “Meatball”). There’s a lot going on.
After lunch an F/A 18 Hornet shows up and starts flying practice approaches and landings at the Mayport airfield which is off the bow of the Sara, just a few degrees offset to the left (these are important details, so remember them!) He lands for fuel and a pit stop and after an hour, starts back up again. By and by, a large thunderstorm comes out from the west and approaches the base. I tell my welder and firewatches to get over to the Island (the big 7 story structure on the starboard midships side of the flight deck. There’s an overhang to get us out of the rain until the storm passes. So it’s kind of like recess, us, a couple of other yardbirds, a few Navy guys, all shooting the breeze and enjoying the break in the heat.
Now, it’s raining like it only rains in Florida in the summer, a serious, no kidding frog strangler. You couldn’t see a hundred feet for the downpour. We’re dry though, and the temperature dropped to a nice 80 instead of 95. Life is good….and then we heard the roar. I mean a roar way louder than the rain, louder than the thunder and it was right HERE! I stuck my head out around the forward side of the island and saw something I shouldn’t have: hanging on the burners, wheels and hook down, barely over the top of Tilly the Crane was an F/A 18 Hornet. Me and everyone else that stuck their heads out were holding our breath while the Hornet finally got enough airspeed to get out of Dodge. I realized what had happened: the Hornet had come around to approach the airfield and got a little off course, saw the Fresnell lens on the Sara and thought he was landing at the airfield. Yes, he this gooned so bad it isn’t funny. He was at least a half mile east of the runway, around 15 degrees north of the airfield approach and 60 feet higher than the airfield, give or take. Well, the jet was gone, the rain was almost done, and we were ready to go back to work.
The next day I was motoring through the hangar bay when I saw the Captain. He was a decent guy, approachable and loved to BS with sailors and yardbirds alike. I waved at him and asked him if he heard about the almost landing yesterday. His face went to instant “eat your face off” and said plain as day, there was NO NEAR LANDING on this aircraft carrier and I’d best forget about it. I told the Captain, I’d keep my mouth shut but I was never going to forget that Hornet hanging over the top of Tilly!
Tales From The Waterfront
Wow. That could have been a disaster. Great story!