Comments by "Steve Valley" (@stevevalley7835) on "HMCS Bonaventure - Guide 143" video.

A friend of mine is retired career Canadian military. He got bored with the infantry (Princess Pat's) and, thanks to the merger of the services, transitioned to aircrew as AESOP. He was training in S2s in the expectation of being embarked on the Bonnie. He said he looked at the tiny escape hatch for his position and decided if the plane ever went in the drink, he would drown before he could wriggle out of the hatch. Fortunately, the Bonnie was paid off just as he was about to complete his training in S2s, so he was switched to Sea Kings, ultimately doing 4 tours in Sea Kings and 2 in an Argus, sniffing Russian subs. Given his long service, he has more sea stories than most people.
14
@stanrogers5613 I can only report Tim's observations. Grumman didn't exactly make hatches enormous. An E2 was at an air show I attended some 20 years ago. When they were getting ready to leave at the end of the show, a crewman came up through a hatch on the top of the fuselage, and looked like he was reenacting his birth.
1