Royal Navy Sailors Train with Wasp
The Royal Navy sent six Sailors, from Navy Command Headquarters in Portsmouth, England, to integrate into Wasp’s flight deck operations to prepare them for their upcoming Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. Her Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Illustrious was the last carrier in British service before being decommissioned in 2014 and will soon be replaced by its advanced counterparts HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales. The Royal Navy stopped working with fixed wing aircraft in 2010, so the reintroduction of carriers in the British Fleet requires personnel who can safely run a flight deck. The two new carriers are expected to operate the short take-off and vertical landing variant of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, with flight trials expecting to start in 2018.
Today in U.S. Naval History: February 21
Today in U.S. Naval History - February 21 1944 - Marines with support of naval bombardment and carrier aircraft secure Eniwetok atoll 1945 - USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) struck by a kamikaze off Iwo Jima and sunk in 90 minutes with loss of 318 men. USS Saratoga (CV-3) struck by five kamikazes but survived with loss of 123. Bismarck Sea was last carrier lost in combat during World War II. For more information about naval history, visit the Naval History and Heritage Command website at history.navy.mil.
This Day in U.S. Navy History - February 21
1944 - Marines with support of naval bombardment and carrier aircraft secure Eniwetok atoll 1945 - USS Bismark Sea (CVE-95) struck by a kamikaze off Iwo Jima and sunk in 90 minutes with loss of 318 men. USS Saratoga (CV-3) struck by 5 kamikazes but survived with loss of 123. BismarkSea was last carrier lost in combat during World War II. (Source: Navy News Service)
