Does anybody know of - or owns - some photos of this unique "operation" - I mean crew climbing the ladder? There are photos of the crew sitting in the capsule with opened hatches, photos with pararescuers on the ship deck, but I wonder whether anybody took the picture of the climbing astronauts. If somebody has anything or knows where to find it I would appreciate the information very much. You have to climb the rungs with the ladder facing you sideways and step on each wooden rung from the side with the edge of the foot so the ladder doesn't push out from under you.
Can't see how they would have been able to do that with a space suit boot on. I've done it many times on the fantail of a carrier, but never a destroyer. It's scary! Can't see why they would have had to use one on a destroyer. The freeboard isn't that high. Harland, page Just I never saw any photo of the Gemini 8 crew struggling upwards the ladder and if such photo exists somewhere it is a big rarity I'd love to see.
As I said, the freeboard of a destroyer main deck height to the water line is only about 3 feet. Thinking about it, it wouldn't have been such a hard task on a destroyer. For that distance, the ladder would have been very short, probably just thrown over the side and that would have allowed them to climb the couple of rungs straight on as you do a ladder. The side of the ship would have kept it from pushing out away from them. Not like climbing to the yard arm off the fan tail of a carrier which is strung out in mid air and about 40 feet above the water line.
I've served on frigates, landing craft, patrol boats and destroyer escorts. Freeboard is more feet. I was stationed aboard a Fram 2 class Destroyer S Harold J. The same class Destroyer that picked up Gemini 8. At amidships, you could kneel down and touch the water reaching over the side. The freeboard was really low. I too was on Patrol Boats and had more than one occassion to slip over the side into the water for various operations and it was no feet. Believe me! Take a look at the pictures of the U.
S Noa hauling Friendship 7 aboard with the crane to the main deck passageway and you'll see what I'm talking about. I don't know what period of time you were on the vessels you mentioned and I don't doubt your knowledge of those particular vessels. I wouldn't comment here if I didn't have the actual experience and know what I was talking about. That would be rather foolish. Posts: From: Bethpage, N.
