Sailors aboard the escort carrier USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80) crowd the flight deck catwalk to watch the aftermath of a landing mishap: a carrier fighter has nosed over on the short flight deck, its tail pointed skyward. Deck accidents like this were a routine hazard of flight operations aboard the Navy's small, fast-built escort carriers, which launched fighters and torpedo bombers in support of amphibious landings and anti-submarine patrols throughout the Pacific campaign. Project: 218458