File photo.
Hungarian is an unusual, difficult language to learn for foreigners. Hence it is not often that you see it used to display messages of peace or solidarity on foreign military assets. Yet this is precisely what happened almost seventy years ago.
The Hungarian photo archive Fortepan has published a photograph donated by a member of the public, depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier where members of the crew form letters on the flight deck of the ship. The message displays the Hungarian words: “Coral Sea. Isten Segítsen”, which means “May God Help”.
The Aircraft Carrier USS Coral Sea in the Mediterranean near Napoly. Photo: Fortepan, Béla I. Barabás
The photo must have been taken after Captain Joseph A. Jaap took command on October 10, 1956 (later attaining the rank of Rear Admiral). It is presumably a show of solidarity in view of the deadly Soviet intervention against the 1956 anti-communist revolution in Hungary. It is also known that the crew of the carrier has collected over 7000 USD in aid of the refugees fleeing the country, a huge sum in 1976 (en equivalent to 84.000 in 2026 USD).
Fact
The USS Coral Sea (CV/CVB/CVA-43) was a Midway-class aircraft carrier, the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of the Coral Sea. She earned the affectionate nickname “Ageless Warrior” through her long career. She was launched on 2 April 1946 and commissioned on 1 October 1947 with Captain A.P. Storrs III in command.
In the Bay of San Francisco. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Coral Sea was one of the last U.S Navy carriers to be completed with a straight flight deck, with an angled flight deck added on during later modernizations. All subsequent newly built U.S Navy carriers have had the angled deck included as part of the ship’s construction, and the other two ships of this class were also converted. After nearly 43 years of service, Coral Sea was decommissioned on 26 April 1990.
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Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
The post Quiz: When was the Last Time a U.S. Warship Displayed a Message in Hungarian? appeared first on Hungary Today.
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