# Snowplows on aircraft carriers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 30, 2001, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019 "2001-05-30T21:42:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/21 "2001-06-02T15:56:16Z")
From a link I followed on the page linked by **dqa** : “[Crewmen use flight deck tractors with power brooms to sweep snow from the carrier’s flight deck, during operations off Korea, circa early 1951.](http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g420000/g428267.jpg)” That, of course, was 50 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![urban1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d07c76/32.png) [@urban1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/22 "2001-06-02T16:25:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I really don’t recall how the snow was cleared away, but with approximately 6,000 folks aboard manpower’s not an issue. But, that’s 6,000 shovels or the equivalent. At $10,000 per shovel, that about doubles the cost of the carrier. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/23 "2001-06-02T22:57:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by beatle \* > \*\*“Crewmen use flight deck tractors with power brooms to sweep snow from the carrier’s flight deck, during operations off Korea, circa early 1951.” > > That, of course, was 50 years ago. \*\* But it does indeed answer my question. The picture says it all. I don’t think they went back to shoveling since then. Thank you very much! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/24 "2001-06-02T23:17:18Z")
I’ve heard of the Cessna thing before, but I can’t see why it would necessitate the dumping of more than one or two choppers: How much space would a Cessna take up on deck? Sure, you’d need to clear a runway, but you could do that with helicopters just taking off, and landing again after the Cessna had landed. I can’t imagine that that quantity of air fuel would cost more than the equipment itself. For that matter, they didn’t need to dump any helicopters: They could have just dumped the Cessna itself (probably much cheaper than a Navy bird), after the passengers got out. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2001, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/25 "2001-06-02T23:20:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Chronos \* > \*\*Sure, you’d need to clear a runway, but you could do that with helicopters just taking off, and landing again after the Cessna had landed. \*\* Hmm… you’re right. Plus they could just have taken them down the elevators to the hangar deck. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Jois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/26 "2001-06-03T02:58:06Z")
See photos of USS Midway especially the last three where “things” were being off loaded onto barges and ??? at the fall of Saigon: [http://www.mississippi.net/~comcents/tendertale.com/ttonl/newlife.html](http://www.mississippi.net/~comcents/tendertale.com/ttonl/newlife.html) Jois ---
**Author:** ![Jois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/27 "2001-06-03T03:14:35Z")
Holy Cow! [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~buzznau/ship.html](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~buzznau/ship.html) DQA’s source. See Jack Frost’s photo of the Cessna landing! Jois ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2001, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019/28 "2001-06-08T18:36:53Z")
I asked the Public Affairs Office of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) about it. Here’s what I got: > [@](#): > > No shovels or picks. Most of the time when snow builds up on the flight deck, it melts fast because heat from inside the ship rises. The cats and arresting gear rooms are some of the hottest on the ship and they are right under the flight deck. If things get too bad, we can activate the counter-measure washdown, which sprays warm saltwater over the entire deck. Naval aviation is a lot like postal service. If the pilots HAVE to do it, they CAN do it anytime, in almost any conditions. Hope this answers your question! > > Respectfully, > > JO2 Travis Meadors Well, I guess it does. Thank you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snowplows-on-aircraft-carriers/67019.md?page=1)