Fairchild C-123 folding wings

[Justo Miranda]

From AA Historical Society Journal Winter 1997

 

[Antonio]

That's really interesting. Thanks a lot Justo. Its role was COD only or could it be configured as a tanker?.

 

[Justo Miranda]

That's really interesting. Thanks a lot Justo. Its role was COD only or could it be configured as a tanker?.

Some (cut) text here

 

[RAP]

Naval C-123

 

[RAP]

...

 

[Pioneer]

The C-123's inherent heavy weight and huge tailfin seems an odd choice for a carrier-operating aircraft IMO.
I'm curious and somewhat confused, as to why the deck-spotting picture's show so many a C-123's at one time on the carrier deck, if it was intended as a COD/Tanker; or am I reading this post incorrectly? Was these C-123 meant to replenish the carrier in mass, without the carrier needing to dock? or was it possibly intended that this many C-123 would operate from the carrier to deliver assault troop's??

Regards
Pioneer

 

[Yellow Palace]

Was these C-123 meant to replenish the carrier in mass, without the carrier needing to dock?

'Regular or emergency replenishment of supplies', apparently. Though I'm really not sure why you'd bother.

 

[taildragger]

The C-123's inherent heavy weight and huge tailfin seems an odd choice for a carrier-operating aircraft IMO.
I'm curious and somewhat confused, as to why the deck-spotting picture's show so many a C-123's at one time on the carrier deck, if it was intended as a COD/Tanker; or am I reading this post incorrectly? Was these C-123 meant to replenish the carrier in mass, without the carrier needing to dock? or was it possibly intended that this many C-123 would operate from the carrier to deliver assault troop's??

Regards
Pioneer

I don't think resupplying a carrier entirely by COD aircraft would be feasible. A USN carrier with embarked air wing has about 5000 sailors and 90 aircraft aboard - the number of aircraft and sorties required to support them and operations would so occupy the flight deck that the ship's operational capacity would be seriously diminished. Significant resupply of a carrier without docking is accomplished by underway replenishment (UnRep) from another vessel steaming alongside. Cargo and personell are passed passed back and forth on cables and helicopters while fuel is transfered by large hoses.

 

[GTX]

A USN carrier with embarked air wing has about 5000 sailors and 90 aircraft aboard

Though in the era this was proposed you had carriers with far less. That said, I doubt they were proposing enmasse replenishment. Rather I think it is just showing how many could fit on.

That said, using them for something like an airborne assault with paratroopers could be an interesting scenario.

 

[Hood]

An interesting concept. The RAF looked at using carriers as staging posts for DHC Caribou's for the East of Suez resupply role but this takes it one step further with a dedicated COD role.
I guess it was intended for rapid resupply of aviation stocks (ammunition etc.) to maintain high tempo air strikes etc. without having to pull the carrier back out of station to transfer stock from a resupply ship, especially if the carrier had plenty of fuel and no other reason to disengage. I guess Fairchild was looking at Korean War experience and using that to take a punt and try and sell C-123s to the Navy. Had this been a few years earlier maybe the USN would have taken a nibble at the offer?

 

[Pioneer]

An interesting concept. The RAF looked at using carriers as staging posts for DHC Caribou's for the East of Suez resupply role but this takes it one step further with a dedicated COD role.

How interesting - both the RAF using Caribou's, and using carrier's as staging posts!!


Regards
Pioneer

 

[Pioneer]

A USN carrier with embarked air wing has about 5000 sailors and 90 aircraft aboard

Though in the era this was proposed you had carriers with far less. That said, I doubt they were proposing enmasse replenishment. Rather I think it is just showing how many could fit on.

That said, using them for something like an airborne assault with paratroopers could be an interesting scenario.

Thanks Greg!

"That said, using them for something like an airborne assault with paratroopers could be an interesting scenario."
Hmm, maybe you could apply this "scenario" somewhere else


Regards
Pioneer

 

[hesham]

It was called Fairchild M-255.

 

[Hood]

It was called Fairchild M-255.

We know, the image is on the very first post of this thread.

 

[taildragger]

A USN carrier with embarked air wing has about 5000 sailors and 90 aircraft aboard

Though in the era this was proposed you had carriers with far less.

The number of embaked aircraft and personnel was less, but the flight deck and hanger bay were also smaller so I think the same math would apply.

 

[riggerrob]

yes, the USMC toyed with the idea of massed para-drops during the Cold War. Eventually the USMC limited para-drops to small groups of Force Recon, Forward Air Controllers and Naval Gunnery Controllers.

 

[BlackBat242]

The C-123's inherent heavy weight and huge tailfin seems an odd choice for a carrier-operating aircraft IMO.
I'm curious and somewhat confused, as to why the deck-spotting picture's show so many a C-123's at one time on the carrier deck, if it was intended as a COD/Tanker; or am I reading this post incorrectly? Was these C-123 meant to replenish the carrier in mass, without the carrier needing to dock? or was it possibly intended that this many C-123 would operate from the carrier to deliver assault troop's??

Regards
Pioneer

The text of the image in the 3rd post say that "up to 12 could be accommodated on an Essex class carrier while its warplanes are on a mission".

It also describes what the aircraft was for, and how it would be used.

The tailfin is a non-issue... as the AJ Savage and A-3 Skywarrior, which both operated from Essex class carriers, had tall tailfins that folded for moving to the hangar... just like was proposed for the C-123 COD.

The A-5 Vigilante and the S-3 Viking likewise had large tailfins that folded.