Yuku free message boards

Actually by the time Vietnam rolled around the Valley Forge was no longer a "real" carrier, but had been re-designated as an amphibious assault ship and was assigned the duty of ferrying a Marine landing force and helicopters around. Accordingly she often operated in different waters than the big rigs like Enterprise, Kitty Hawk, Ranger etc. I suspect that when someone says that they were on a "carrier" they are probably talking about one of the big boys.

Cruiser

The Princeton and Valley Forge were CV's (aircraft carriers) at one time; however, in the 50's when the really big rigs started coming into existence these older, smaller carriers were converted from CV's to LPH's which stands for Landing Platform, Helicopter; otherwise commonly called amphibious assault ships. They generally carried a Marine landing force and the helicopters to land them.

Usually when a sailor from the Vietnam era refers to a "carrier", he is usually talking about one of the attack carriers, CVA's. These are the big flat tops with the angled deck and loaded with the F4's, F8's, A4's, A6's, and A7's common to the era.

And for what it's worth, did you know that a helicopter IS an airplane? I know it's semantics, but most folks don't know this. I learned it when I flew search and rescue and kept hearing the pilots refer to our helicopter as an airplane. I questioned this and got a lesson in aeronautics.

To be an airplane the vehicle must have a wing, and on a helicopter the rotor blade is officially a wing since it funtions in the same manner as a wing on an airplane in that it creates lift by air flowing over the top of it. The only difference is how they create that airflow, but otherwise they do the exact same thing.

Cruiser

I could be wrong but I don't think any aircraft carrier like the Oriskany ever "docked" anywhere in Vietnam or even ventured close enough to land to enter a harbor. They went to the Philippines. We just wouldn't put an asset like this within range of mortars or rockets in a war zone.
Cruiser