‘In skating over thin ice our safety is our speed.’
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
Ice and snow of the brutal Korean winters only compounded the inherent dangers of a carrier flight deck. On 18 January 1952 operations on board the USS Essex (CV-9) came to a temporary halt while waiting for a break in the weather. Aircraft of CVG-5, including F9F-2 Panthers, F2H-2 Banshees, AD-2/3/4 Skyraiders, and, in the foreground, two F4U-5NL Corsairs of VC-3, are mostly covered in snow.
This and other photographs and artwork are available as prints through the Naval Institute Photo Archive. You may place orders or leave messages 24 hours a day at 1-800-233-8764, contact [email protected], or visit our website, www.usni.org.