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Dates |
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Event |
By February 1944 |
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Constructed as a F6F-3.
At Grummans Bethpage, New York, factory under contract NOA-(S)846. |
7 February 1944 |
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Taken on Strength/Charge with the United States Navy with BuNo 41834. |
18 February 1944 |
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Transferred to VF-15, USS Hornet.
Bound for Hawaii from San Diego, CA. |
Circa March 1944 |
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Transferred to VF-3, NAS Barbers Point, HI.
Where it sustained damage in a wheels-up landing. |
From Circa March 1944 to 21 February 1945 |
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Transferred to VF-3B, NAS Barbers Point, HI.
After repair it was used in a training role until February 21, 1945. |
Circa 1946 |
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Converted to a F6F-3K.
Target drone with the installation of sophisticated radio-control equipment. |
Circa 1946 |
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Markings Applied: 14
Painted red with a pink tail that carried the number 14. |
25 July 1946 |
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Used in Operation Crossroads - the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. It flew on June 24, 1946, with a pilot, on a practice flight and was launched, unmanned, soon after the first bomb test. Instrumentation on board and photographic plates taped to the control stick obtained data on radioactivity. Three more manned flights preceded the final unmanned flight on July 25, 1946, which evaluated the first underwater explosion. |
Circa 1947 |
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Transferred to NAS Norfolk, VA. |
25 March 1947 |
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Last flight. |
3 November 1948 |
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To Smithsonian National Air Museum. |
From 3 November 1948 to 4 October 1960 |
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On behalf of the owner stored with/at NAS Norfolk, VA. |
4 October 1960 |
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Transported by ship.
Moved by barge to Washington and placed in storage. |
From 4 October 1960 to 1976 |
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On behalf of the owner stored with/at Washington, DC. |
From 1976 to 16 March 1982 |
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Loaned to USS Yorktown Museum, Charleston, SC. |
16 March 1982 |
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Returned from loan to Smithsonian National Air Museum.
Because of the harsh environment it had been displayed in and its poor condition it was returned to NASM. |
From 1983 to 1985 |
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Restored.
It was sent to Grumman Aerospace where a team of volunteers completely restored the aircraft. |
1985 |
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On behalf of the owner stored with/at Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration and Storage Facility, Suitland, MD. |
2004 |
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Placed on display with Smithsonian, National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Reston, VA.
 View the Location Dossier |
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Markings Applied: 37 |
16 September 2011 |
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Photographer: Robert Nichols |
5 June 2016 |
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Photographer: Arjun Sarup |
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 | | This airframe dossier is based on
unreviewed imported data.
If you can verify the documented history or add to it with additional text and/or photos please feel free to do so by using the upload tool and the history editor. |
