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Marsden, S. B. Lt.
Clark, J. N. AD1
The symbols refer to typhoons penetrated, but I
think it had to be a certain category
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Search & Rescue 
USS Whitehurst Logo by: Pat Stephens, Webmaster, DESA
VJ-1 was a WWll squadron that was decommissioned then they formed our
squadron in 1952 at Sandpoint NAS, WA. We went thru training then on
to Guam to fly weather. Then the name was changed to VW3. Earl Beach
Co-Pilot Plane Captain
This was the aircraft lost with nine men aboard.
Note the five "Typhoon Credits"
(wind speed). This [PB4Y] has always been my favorite air craft.
The skippers
plane in this picture was probably headed on a round robin flight
to visit
all the bases we might go in to, Sangley, PI, Hong Kong, Okinawa,
Japan and others.
Earl Beach
r to l: Troescher, F Ltjg, Marsden, S. Lt Co-pilot, Newhall,
J. W. Cmdr Pilot & Sqd CO,
Calvin, Charles ADC, not certain on next one, flight suit behind Calvin Barnet,
F. AL1,
next with red hair, checkerboard in background, Iverson, Merlin "Mike" AM2
photo & info contributed by Mike Iverson
Radar Screen photo by Austen Doolittle
What you see in that Radar photo was the eye of a typhoon on October 12,
1952. As the Radar operator I was the only person who could actually see the eye
of the storm. It was impossible for the Pilot and Copilot to have any idea how
far away the eye actually was. The visibility looking out the windows disallowed
us to see anything, so the pilot and copilot had to fly by instruments. So it
was my job to basically guide the pilot with direction and distance to the eye.
The weather man and the pilot could tell the intensity of the wind which we kept
on our starboard side, as we let the wind blow us into the eye.
We had a large camera attached to the radar scope and we would put our name and
date on the card by the camera. When we got back to base the Photo lab would
print up the photos for evaluation by the squadron commanders. The photo lab
people managed to send me a copy of this one. As you see the eye was not a
perfect circle but was elliptical, and this eye if I recall correctly was about
10 miles long and 6 or 7 miles across. That depending upon the wind could mean
that the total typhoon could be 75 to 100 miles across, and the winds were
probably well over 100 knots. I remember seeing eyes that were 25 to 30 miles
long and some were actually circular. Although we went in at 1500 foot altitude
while we were in there we could be bounced around down to 200 to 300 feet and in
seconds be bounced up to 3,4, or 5000 feet.
Everything inside the plane had to be wired and locked down, and still the heavy
radio and radar and loran gear or fire bottles or sonar gear could fly loose, so
although we had seat belt keeping us in our seats we still had to grab gear that
was floating around. As a nineteen or twenty year old it was our job, and I
never at the time gave it a second thought about the danger, that is until we
lost our Number 1 plane. Knowing what I know now I would never do it again.
As I've said before I should have been on that plane, but had to man the base
radio that day ,and was actually in communication with Norm Stephens who was my
second radio man when we lost the plane. Austen Doolittle
J. N. Clark AD1
Norm Stephens AL2
note from Austen Doolittle: "Norm Stephens is the Radioman whom I was
communicating with
from the Base Radio when the accident occurred.
"
Austen Doolittle AL2
Art Stott AO3
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