Tora Tora Aichi D3A Val (Vultee BT-13 Valiant)
Dad was on the Yorktown during the filming of the "good" Pearl Harbor movie, "Tora Tora Tora." At the time--1969--CGI didn't exist and there were no flyable A6M Zeroes, much less the other aircraft used in the Pearl Harbor attack, B5N Kates and D3A Vals. Famous aircraft collector Lynn Garrison assembled a fleet of North American T-6 Texans and Vultee BT-13 Valiant trainers and modified them to resemble the various Japanese aircraft used on December 7. These were then craned aboard the Yorktown for filming the "attack takeoff" sequence in the movie.
Dad snapped this picture on the way out of NAS North Island for filming--if I remember what he told me, they sailed out with only a few of the "Japanese" aircraft aboard to test takeoffs and deck handling procedures, then went back into North Island, craned the rest of the aircraft aboard and went out to film the "Pearl Harbor" launch on a very cold late November morning off California. They made a third trip into North Island, picked up the replicas a third time (since they couldn't land aboard the Yorktown), and sailed to the real Pearl Harbor to crane off the aircraft for the filming around Hawaii. According to Dad, due to weather, the Yorktown arrived in Pearl...on December 7, 1969. Understandably, the Yorktown wasn't real popular around the base with a deck full of "Japanese" aircraft on the attack's anniversary!
This picture also gives a view of some of the cosmetic changes made to the Yorktown to make it resemble a Japanese carrier, specifically the Kaga (though the red stripes on the rear of the fuselage indicates the Akagi). Note the World War II-style mast and Japanese naval ensign!
Dad is actually in the movie--in some shots of the early morning takeoff sequence, he's one of the shadows atop the island structure.
Tora Tora Aichi D3A Val (Vultee BT-13 Valiant)
Dad was on the Yorktown during the filming of the "good" Pearl Harbor movie, "Tora Tora Tora." At the time--1969--CGI didn't exist and there were no flyable A6M Zeroes, much less the other aircraft used in the Pearl Harbor attack, B5N Kates and D3A Vals. Famous aircraft collector Lynn Garrison assembled a fleet of North American T-6 Texans and Vultee BT-13 Valiant trainers and modified them to resemble the various Japanese aircraft used on December 7. These were then craned aboard the Yorktown for filming the "attack takeoff" sequence in the movie.
Dad snapped this picture on the way out of NAS North Island for filming--if I remember what he told me, they sailed out with only a few of the "Japanese" aircraft aboard to test takeoffs and deck handling procedures, then went back into North Island, craned the rest of the aircraft aboard and went out to film the "Pearl Harbor" launch on a very cold late November morning off California. They made a third trip into North Island, picked up the replicas a third time (since they couldn't land aboard the Yorktown), and sailed to the real Pearl Harbor to crane off the aircraft for the filming around Hawaii. According to Dad, due to weather, the Yorktown arrived in Pearl...on December 7, 1969. Understandably, the Yorktown wasn't real popular around the base with a deck full of "Japanese" aircraft on the attack's anniversary!
This picture also gives a view of some of the cosmetic changes made to the Yorktown to make it resemble a Japanese carrier, specifically the Kaga (though the red stripes on the rear of the fuselage indicates the Akagi). Note the World War II-style mast and Japanese naval ensign!
Dad is actually in the movie--in some shots of the early morning takeoff sequence, he's one of the shadows atop the island structure.