LST (CVE) for Med

[pharmy]

Found these in a book about LSTs - apparently six were converted in the Med, might be useful for last minute recon flights- with Vigilant instead of Grasshopper

[pharmy]

Sideview

[Shark7]

Could they also land, or was this like the Akitsu Maru, the planes could launch, but had to land somewhere on the ground?

[pharmy]

No they couldn't, there was another class thought that did. I'm just downloading about 1000 rare Osprey books, so I didnt really look into the matter. This Brodie device exceeds my imagination

[pharmy]

I can see where the catapult goes, but thats about it

[pharmy]

http://youtu.be/zZpTm5LgHQA Ok I do now WOW

[fodder]

Thanks icepharmy, didn't know about these converted LSTs. The vidieo is pretty good also, but did you read the discription of it?

"This landing system saved the US Navy from possible annihilation in Okinawa and earned the L Bird a reputation as the most deadly plane used in WWII."

Bit much.

[pharmy]

Sure, a little bit of an overstatement, here is a more sober assessment and the real story. The fact that a Stinson is displayed hooked on a Brodie sling at the Udvarhazy center is impressive though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9vAWEgw ... re=related

By the way I notice that the Brits have a couple of their modified LSTs, but the US don't have their AR(L) and AGP versions for example
EDIT: the Portenus class AGPs are in the game

[oldman45]

I modded in 4 of the AR conversions. Battle damage repair I think they called them. Most of them made it to the war near the end.

[pharmy]

http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/ships-ar.html
http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/19/19idx.htm
According to these links 4 were already converted in the shipyard in 43, the rest in 44/45.
I've never played the Allies till 43, so I'm basing their importance on the closes analog I know - the Daihatsu LBs - they really need an AR after even the shortest trip
These are the ones that seem to have made it to the Pacific- different from the Battle repair ship class though
USS Achelous (ARL-1) – arrival – from Med/Aden around Q1 45
USS Amycus (ARL-2) – July 30 San Francisco
USS Agenor (ARL-3) Vancouver April 3 1943
USS Atlas (ARL-7) – 1945???
USS Egeria (ARL-8) – Balboa May? 1944
USS Endymion (ARL-9) Balboa August 1944
USS Coronis (ARL-10) Balboa Jan 1945?
USS Creon (ARL-11) Balboa Feb/March 1945
USS Poseidon (ARL-12) Balboa April 1945

[pharmy]

http://home.comcast.net/~arl30/whatis.HTM I think the biggest difference vs the ARB was the large A frame, so in essence these were small floating docks for landing craft