'Andu' said: "I don't know any details of the system, but the A4 Skyhawk had an underwater eject facility. I knew an RAN A4 driver who suffered a cold cat launch and dribbled into the oggin off the bow of HMAS Melbourne. He said he had to stay in the cockpit as he watched the ship steam over him and then eject.
He said he was ~90' underwater by the time the ship cleared him (and it was getting very, VERY dark) and all the while, he kept thanking God it wasn't USS Enterprise he was waiting to pass over him."
Not really the full picture concerning the loss of A4G 889 via a cold cat from HMAS Melbourne. There is a video of the accident available - I'll post a link soon. Briefly the pilot (known to me - telling the story with copious arm waving and ejection handle NOT pulling) when he arrived back at NAS Nowra. What he attempted to do was eject but for various reasons (including as the aircraft tipped over the front) the sequence stopped at the canopy phase so only it left the aircraft as he went over the front.
Yes he waited for the props to go past as during the descent (breathing emergency oxygen) the aircraft 889 scraped the side briefly. Anyway once he sensed the screws had past he escaped, used the MaeWest to get to the surface because once he left the cockpit unencumbered there was no more oxygen. The Wessex 'Pedro' Helo rescue aircrewman later commented that he literally popped out of the water. What a great sight for everyone.
On the left side of the Skyhawk cockpit there is a large round insert which is the pressure relief valve to equalise the pressure inside and out when underwater so that the pilot can open the canopy. I don't know of any underwater ejections as such but a search of the internet might find some.
This 8 minute greyscale silent video shows initially Barry entering the cockpit of an A4G and closing the canopy, however it is not 889 of that fateful day. Later during a series of catapults we see his cold cat and rescue for him to be stretchered then allowed to stand and walk.
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=cbcd6...340707E6%21293
.WMV Video 38Mb "A4G_Ops_Melbourne_8min.wmv"
If youse like loud music the same video is there in same folder 'A4G Skyhawk RAN FAA VIDEOS' with a TOOL soundtrack.