This post is in response to Ronald Marks question to Don Scooby within an H-Bomb thread, asking if he had been a witness to the accident involving shipmate Oglesby.
I was on the flight deck that day as everyday involving launches from the waist cats. It was a daytime launch cycle, sunny and clear- a very nice day. I was positioned just forward of the waist cat center deck station, inboard of Cat 3 and near the Cat Officer. We had just launched from Cat 3 and the next to go was an F-8 Crusader from Cat 4. Cat 4 is the outboard catapult very close and parallel to the edge of the flight deck. Anyone in the catwalk must duck down during the launch as the wing is over the catwalk. The Jet Blast Deflector (JBD) for Cat 4 was a small single panel. No room for multiple panels as the other three catapults. No room, especially to port, as the single panel was very close to the scupper.
The F-8 was positioned on Cat 4, the JBD was raised. Behind the JBD was a tillerbar man (Oglesby) controlling the nosewheel steering of an A-4, the AC next in line for Cat 4 after the F-8 launched. When the F-8 went to full power the Cat Officer then gave the signal for afterburner. A second or two after afterburner kicked in...the JBD started lowering. It almost seemed as if the velocity of the jet blast exhaust was blowing the JBD door down. As it started to lower, I could see Oglesby, facing aft, holding the tillerbar and scrunched over trying to avoid the heat. (This would be normal as in spite of a raised JBD, a lot of heat and blast can be felt behind the JBD from the opening from the bottom edge of the panel and the deck. This is especially true with F-8 aircraft whose blast is directed more towards the deck rather than the middle of the panel). As the panel lowered, Oglesby became exposed to the full blast of the Crusader in afterburner. The distance between Oglesby and the tailpipe was probably about 25 feet. When the panel lowered (3-4 seconds to lower), Oglesby was propelled aft and overboard. I seem to recall his body hit a few objects before going overboard but I can't be positive. His body was recovered but since I wasn't part of that effort I don't recall any details.
In real time, it seemed like it happened in slow motion except when Oglesby was blasted overboard. That part was like a cat shot...very fast. Seeing Oglesby behind the JBD panel and then seeing the panel begin to lower and knowing the tragedy that was going to happen in the next few seconds and not being able to stop it... was numbing!
Cat 4 JBD control station was in the catwalk adjacent to the forward edge of the panel...he could touch it. During launching, as soon as a plane launched he was to depress the 'lower' button so the next AC could be taxied forward over the lowered panel to the launch position. Because of the proximity of the control station to the panel, the operator had to scrunch down in the catwalk to avoid the blast that was equally dispersed sideways and over the top. He couldn't raise his head above the catwalk. He relied on an audible signal to tell him the plane was launched- the restraining holdback bar breaking which made a loud bang... and then he depressed the 'lower' button without actually 'seeing' the AC moving down the cat track.
During the incident launch, when the AC went to burner the JBD operator, whose head was down, heard a 'BANG'... and thinking it was the holdback bar breaking, depressed the 'lower' button...and the tragic incident unfolded.
The JBD operator was devastated. He was one of a group of about a half dozen Reserves on active duty from NAS South Weymouth, Mass. He and the others were excellent sailors and shipmates as I'm sure Oglesby was also.
Subsequent design changes rendered the catwalk mounted control stations dangerous when in close proximity to the panels. Later controls utilized portable control boxes with umbilical cords allowing flexibility and maneuverability for the operators.
Footnote: Another tragedy, but not fatal, incident involving one of the Mass. Reserves occurred when one of them, a yellowshirt cat spotter for Cat 3 was hit in the head by an F-8 wingtip during launch. Miraculously, he survived!

Thank you for that information Richard. I did not know his body was recovered and that is a relief to know. You offered a lot of helpful details as that accident is something you never forget. Watching it unfold is something that has bothered me for decades. If Norman Hoiland had not pulled me away I would have been the second victim. Thanks again. Ron Marks

I was also on the flight deck that day, and knew Jr. quite well
i was spotting cat 2, i saw the aftermath as i was watching the f8 being launched, i saw the deflector drop, only later did i find out the results of what i saw. they said he was seen swimming, however i was sure he was burned badly and not sure i believed it. I feel sad about that still Jr. was a great guy.

Jim Courtney

An ugly day for sure when Oglesby was lost. Norman Hoiland and I ran over to the side and watched him sink below the surface. Thought of throwing a life preserver to him but it looked like it was too late. Like I said before I will never forget it and never have.
As recently as last month I received from the Navy archives several links to the deck logs for that time period and have not gone through all of them yet. Were were with VA 113, green shirts. Norm ADJ3, Me ADJ2. Ron Marks

The fantail watch threw a smoker over to mark the position,only they wouldnt say who he was. His report is logged somewhere as they all are if a "event" happened, however, its history now, we know how it ended.
Jim

Jim and Richard, both of you have added important additional facts and I am truly honored by your recollection of what happened. My memory pales when compared to the two of you. I was right there, Hoiland saved my life and I have always been tormented that Norman and I couldn't have saved Oglesby's life. I also admire the details you have recited. I have mentioned this accident many times on "postings" I have often wondered if Oglesby's parents have ever heard any of this.
Ron Marks, VA 113 ADJ2

I was also in fly 1 as a blue shirt and did not know what happened until after it had happened. You gave a good recap of what happened but I do not think they had hold back bars until I left the ship in April, 1965.

Holdback bars were used for all catapult launches on carriers. The only minor exception was in nomenclature as the A-1 ( the Skyraider/Spad) used a "D" ring as opposed to a holdback bar for all other aircraft. The holdback ASSEMBLY was the reuseable device (different configurations for each aircraft). One end had a cleat that was inserted into the holdback track that served as the anchor. The other end held the holdback BAR,also called the tension bar, the other end of which attached to a receptacle on the aircraft. The holdback bars were approximately 6" in length, different colors to distinguish different breaking strengths to be used with different AC. Both ends were identical shapes so they couldn't be installed incorrectly. This BAR, sometimes called a 'tension bar' had a necked down portion which was the 'breaking point' when the catapult was fired. The bar for the F-8 Crusader (silver in color) was different in that one end was circular in diameter(holdback ass'y end) and the other end was shaped somewhat like a mushroom (AC end).The 'necked down' (reduced diameter) was calculated to break at 28,500 pounds of force. Other aircraft had different breaking strengths such as the A-3 and F-4 at 50,000 lbs. The holdback assembly for the F-8 was a very heavy chain, similar to a bicycle chain in style.
When tension bars broke when the cat was fired, half of the bar remained with the AC and half was retained in the holdback assembly by a simple rubber device cat crew referred to as 'dillywhackers'. The 'dillywhacker was not a failsafe device and often the broken portion of tension bar would drop out on deck and be propelled aft by the jet blast up and over the JBD, becoming a missile hazard, especially for those in the waist cats or anyone in Fly 2. Immediately following a cat shot, the cat crewman would remove the broken piece of tension bar from the holdback assembly (if the 'dillywhacker' retained it), and toss it over the side. The piece that remained with the AC would usually be removed by the plane captain when the AC returned or by the holdback man when the AC taxied onto the cat.
The 'D' tension ring was the same concept except no portion of the D ring was attached to the AC. This configuration was also used when test firing the cats with deadloads for certification.
All cat launches from WWII thru VietNam and beyond used the holdback bars/'D' ring devices. I believe the introduction of the F-14 Tomcat may (?) have been the first to use a "Repeatable Release" holdback unit which no longer uses a disposable tension bar.

yes,hold backs was used on all the craft i spotted,some of the f8s used to make me uncomfortable because there was so little room for the holdback guy to slide under the tail section and make the hook up.

Jim

As a very young sailor on the Kitty Hawk and in the Engineering Department it is not often that we were ever topside to see air ops. Not knowing what all the different colored shirts meant witch job was their responsibly.
It looked like a precision dance set to the sound of the jets and prop machines. The knowledge of the ever present danger and so much movement during a big launch of both men and machines. Not much news was ever shared amongst the different departments. We had our dangerous jobs in the engineering department but the topside was way more risky.
Understandable that the bonds were strong amongst the crew.
Steve

Steve,
Those of us who worked in the Air Dept/ Air Wing took it for granted that everyone knew what the different colored jerseys meant, not realizing that others in other departments didn't have a clue. I'll try to give you an idea of the colors and the jobs:
Green...catapults & arresting gear; AC maintenance
Red... ordinance, Rep 8 (firefighting/rescue)
Blue...AC handlers; tractor drivers
Yellow...AC Directors, cat spotters, Air Dept Officers
Purple (we used to tell them it was lavender)...aviation fuel
Brown...plane captains
White/black checked...plane checkers
White (sometimes w/red cross...medical
I may have forgotten a few but these will give you the basics. Using colored jerseys was helpful but at night, especially a moonless one, the different colors were somewhat useless.
Your description and viewing of ops,probably from the island (what we called vultures row) was pretty accurate. During the 'Around the Horn Cruise' in '61, the ship entertained dignitaries from Brazil and at least one of the countries on the Pacific side, either Chile or Peru (maybe both). We would fly them out to the ship prior to arrival at their country and entertain them with air ops, an air show and ordnance/weapons demonstration. After the show, the ships PAO folks interviewed one of them and asked his opinion of what he had witnessed. He said (and I paraphrase), "It was like watching an insane asylum...but the inmates were colorfully attired and very well trained". Guess that says it all!
One incident that went unnoticed by the visitors that could have been tragic occurred during the launch preceding the air show. An A-3 (Whale) was spotted on Cat 2 (fwd port) and an F-8 Crusader on Cat 3 armed with a Sidewinder heat seeking missile. The planned launch sequence was 1,2,3,4. We couldn't launch from 3 or 4 until the A-3 was launched from Cat 2 because his port wing crossed over the launch line. Cat one launched and we (3 and 4) were waiting for Cat 2 to launch and we waited and waited. Finally the A-3 was declared 'Down' and the port wing was folded to clear the launch line. We immediately launched the F-8 from Cat 3. As soon as the AC started down the cat track, the Sidewinder dropped to the deck and took off like the missile that it was. It went forward of the ship until it disappeared. An obvious malfunction! Had the original launch sequence taken place...1,2,3,4, the A-3 would have been only a short distance in front of the ship when Cat 3 launched with the malfunctioning Sidewinder that would have seeked the engine exhaust and knocked the A-3 out of the sky. We dodged a bullet (missile)! Sometimes you're good... and sometimes you're lucky!