LV ZVeE Vaud] Pe The] C1 mice NavAer 00-75R-3HANDWRITING in the sky high above the earrier, a now ship which played a great big role in the winning of the warNAVAL AVIATION NEWS December 1948 No, 288 UNZIPPING THE CABOT man you've seen those sheepskin: Tined leather k : They'te good for stowing a bottle containing valuable liquid, cush joning it against wear and tear, breakage, thieving nippers But when you're ready to use the com: with a zipper down one side and. evaporation modity, just yatk the 2 In a way, that was precisely the principle employed by the Navy two yoars ago When it stowed a han 1,000 battleweary ships in Navy Yards from Boston dear around ine a CV of CVL in a per, exteact the bottle and it's ready to Bremerton. J's tough. to zipper bag, but that Unlike the old days, when all movable, corrodible or valuable gear was cemoved from an inactive ship, and the npty hull left to weather the elements, inactiv 8 of U1 were left intact with everything on board rate, Shrouded “ships on a leash’ is what one | surfaces were protectively them, All ej | corrodible parts below decks. rection finders, looked yed on hosts under strippable plastic hoods, sf like gray Ne Metal “igloos,” sealed ‘at the base, in multi-layored coats Restricted covered gun mounts and movable parts. All openings were id deck spaces dehumidified could stand protected. indefinitely lly equipped and ready to go sinst pty, The question, the wraps come off and take a look. 1 find whe ‘out: Unzipper a ship of, CVI, was the fi streamlined inactivation in the 16th Fleet, S he regular three-month ovethaul allotted to each Reserve Fleet every five years anyway. Some protective covering would have to come off to let workmen in, Why not activate her, see how long it would take, and what was underneath So, the order came through to Commander Atlantic Re ulling the Gabo's zipper tab when a John W. King reported aboard. It Well, it was interesting setve Fleet 0 start new crew under Ca way pulled, What was inside? and there were some surprises. The Navy now knows what it will find beneath the wraps of some 30 aircraft carriers in mothballs, Two other battle tested carriers, the Estex and the Warp, and the CVL Betazn are slated to be taken out