Amerikaanse vliegdekschepen spelen een belangrijke rol in de strijd tegen Japan in de Pacific.

Amerikaanse vliegdekschepen spelen een belangrijke rol in de strijd tegen Japan in de Pacific. De landings-officier geeft een signaal aan het binnenkomende vliegtuig. ' U.S. Aircraft Carriers Play Important Role In Blasting Japanese in Pacific. Air power, the spearhead of the U.S. offensive in the Pacific, has been transported on the decks of U.S. aircraft carriers to every point in the vast Pacific where the Japanese have sought to rule. In January, 1945, carrier planes battered enemyheld ports on the China coast, bringing the sea-air phase of the offensive into Japan's innermost defense areas. Typical of thes `floating` airdromes is the U.S.S. Bennington, 27.100 ton aircraft carrier launched in April, 1944, which carries more than 80 aircraft and more than 2.000 men. She is among the more than 80 U.S. carriers in operation. Her final pre-battle test, like that of all U.S. Navy ships, consisted of a shakedown cruise to synchronize the activities of crew and pilots. The following series of photographs shows various activities during the cruise. This photo shows: The landing signal officer lowers one signal paddle to indicate to an incoming plane pilot that one wing is too low, as the assistant landing signal officer looks on. The man with the telephone headset is the `talker`, who keeps in touch with the ship's bridge. The crew member with the binoculars is a `spotter`, who checks the next plane in the landing circle, making sure that the wheels, tail hooks and flaps are down. Practice landings are an important part of the work of pilots and ship's crew during this pre-battle `shakedown` cruise. '