European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 22, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Is photos by Gus Schuettler deck olog by Mike Spear staff writer Saratoga catapult officer signals operator to push the go " Button within 3 seconds plane is off the deck. Penetrating Decibel level catapult operator ducks after he hits go Button As f4 phantom roars past. W Hen you first see flight deck operation aboard an aircraft Carrier you can easily be fooled. You think you see what is going on but you Don t. You see some of it but Byno Means All. It s like seeing a football game for the first time. You see it in a scramble but you can t know All that is going on. Carrier deck activity is deceptively Well organized concise and fast. Planes move constantly from one part of the deck to another. They Are Landing and taking off All at the same time. Here comes an a7 slamming Down on the deck then careening to an abrupt halt. Or there sits a phantom its throttles wide open and afterburners lit throwing flames against a Barrier while waiting for the steam catapult to Send it streaking off the ship. Men Are running All Over the deck in different col ored vests each doing a specific Job. If you focus on one you lose track of another. Where the men move about there is the distinct smell of the country Home of a Quarter Century ago where kerosene lanterns were used for lights. The Sweet smell of burning kerosene in this Case jp4 or jp5 fuel is everywhere but unlike the country Home the scent does t lie about it drives into you blasted from Jet engines. The flight deck is a swirl of winds coming from Many directions. There is at least a 25-Mph headwind coming Over the flight deck from the Bow. Then there Are the Eye and nose burning Jet engine blasts from the rear of the planes that can easily blow a Man off the deck. There is a closeness Between men and planes that de mands exactness in doing the Job. A wrong step can mean being run Over by a plane being blown off the deck or sucked into an engine intake. And noise the Decibel level would penetrate the blocked ears of the Stone deaf. It is so loud that the body a vibrates like a tuning Fork. Of the roaring engines some mane vering planes about on deck and some going full throttle for take off blend into a dissonant symphony that would be the perfect accompaniment for Wagner s Gaiter a mme rung. There Are several Hundred men on deck and each is finely grooved in on his Job whether it be fueling arming maintaining launching or recovering aircraft. The approximately 45 planes that Are involved in flight deck operations move with a liquid like flow. Flight deck officer it. John Curtin Calls it a finely honed magnificent Ballet which can be easily thrown out of step if one Man fails to do his Job properly. But few fail and he Points out that the Saratoga has one of the Best flight deck safety records of any Carrier. During one recent operation the Saratoga launched 17 aircraft and recovered 15 in 25 minutes although 30 min utes was allotted for it. The launching took nine minutes and the recovery 16. This is the Best i be seen in five years of this Curtin said. There is excellent coordination Between the air Wing and the ship s supporting units. There s a great Deal of Pride  f i steam rises from catapult track just after a launch aboard the Saratoga in the med. Page 14 the stars and stripes Sailor turns from the hot kerosene fumes coming from the exhaust of a launching a7 Corsair. Saturday october 22, 1977 an a6 intruder lifts off after a cat shot from a Waist catapult of giant Saratoga flight deck. The stars and stripes Page 15