>>They had such a unique sound for a jet aircraft.<<
That was the spool up of those high bypass turbofan engines. How the S-3 got its “Hoover” nickname.
The carrier flight deck directors, handler, and air boss routinely use/used aircraft nicknames in their communications: Hoover (S-3), Turkey (F-14), Lawn Dart (F/A-18), Hummer (E-2), Double Ugly (EA-6B), Whale (A-3).
Your post made me feel old.
I served in Catapults on CVA-42. The only aircraft, of the group you mentioned, that was deployed on my ship was the A-3D Sky Warrior. That was in 1961-62 during the Cold War years.
Good friend from my NAR VP squadron was also onboard as a plane captain of an A-3. Those big birds flew night and day and every one had nukes and designated targets (just in case).
During launches, I was the below deck console operator for the #1 cat. When an A-3 came up, I had to double the steam pressure from what was normally used to launch other aircraft.