re: >Splash the zeros...
The filming of that caused quite a few raised eyebrows up the Navy chain of command because some of the Tomcat pilots were really hot-dogging and pushing the envelope. One of the Tomcats went down to the deck and almost flamed out and splashed himself, but recovered nicely. It’s clearly visible in the movie IF you’re looking for it... /g
Yeah, I always wondered about that pilot taking his F-14 down that close to the water, and also how close in they were playing with the “Zeros” (really Texans). Oh well, by the time the brass found out about it, the Nimitz was probably already back in port.