A night time infra-red photograph of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN-73) shows how concentrations of heat register as white light. The image taken by a tactical air reconnaissance pod system (TARPS) suspended from the underside of an F-14 Tomcat from CVW-7s Fighter Squadron One-Four-Three (VF-143) illustrates the detail with which the TARPS system can document night time activity on the ground or at sea. In missions flown over Bosnia and Iraq, the images brought back to the ship helped record information such as troop movements, target areas and bomb damage assessment. Exact Date Shot Unknown
Summary
The original finding aid described this photograph as:
Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)
Scene Camera Operator: Unknown
Release Status: Released to Public
Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files
Aircraft carriers are warships that act as airbases for carrier-based aircraft. In the United States Navy, these consist of ships commissioned with hull classification symbols CV (aircraft carrier), CVA (attack aircraft carrier), CVB (large aircraft carrier), CVL (light aircraft carrier), CVN (aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion) and CVAN (attack aircraft carrier (nuclear propulsion). The first aircraft carrier commissioned into the United States Navy was USS Langley (CV-1) on 20 March 1922.
Tags
Date
01/06/1994
Source
The U.S. National Archives
Copyright info
No known copyright restrictions