F4U 'netted'

[hercules130]

Thanks Rob, photos helped a lot. Now firmly back to square 1!

[Dusty_Dog_01]

This is MA1 Carpenter stationed with NAS Sig Security Dept. I can honestly and sadly say that the F5 has met its ultimate demise and has now been classified as " scrap metal " and is awaiting removal from the base.

The Italians had the aircraft moved from it's temp resting place over by the old Seabee compound and in doing so completely destroyed what was left of it. It looks nothing like an airplane whatsoever, unless you knew what you were looking for! The remnants of the wings are lying on top of the overturned fuselage and due to the decomposition of from the salt water, it fell apart very easily.

I have however, had the 20mm cannons removed and am in the process of getting authorization from the base CO to have them sandblasted and encased somewhere on the base for everyone to see but am still waiting on the meeting with him. I am pretty sure that he will go along with it! If anyone wants pics of what it currently looks like, please feel free to email me and I will be happy to send you pics! Thanks!

Jason

[Chris Brame]

What a shame. Were you able to scrounge through it to try to find a serial number?

[Dusty_Dog_01]

Nothing as of yet! There is a placard on one of the radiator's that is corroded over and it has some writing on it, but I am going back in a couple of days to remove that and see what I can get.

Also, being that the tail section is gone, someone mentioned earlier about a " plate " located up on the left side of the fuselage, I do believe. The plane is upside down right now with the wings leaning on top of it. I am hopefully going to go back on Monday and try to get a few guys to roll it over so that we can see what we can find out! I can see a mess of wire harnesses and bundles from the cockpit the way it sits right now, so I am hopeing that the cockpit is not entirely messed up. But we shall see.

Jason

[seabee1526]

Too bad, they could've put it up on a pole at the main gate......

[Dusty_Dog_01]

It would have never made it! The frame and structure was way too corroded from being in the Med for so long. It has only been out of the water almost 4 years now, and I can poke my finger straight through the skin on the wings and the way it fell apart when they moved it from the other side of base was pitiful!

[Shay]

Perhaps the serial number on the 20mm that was removed will point to the identity of the aircraft.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[Dusty_Dog_01]

WAYYYYYY ahead of you on that one! I have a buddy of mine trying to locate something that will eat through the rust and clean off the sealife buildup on the guns so that we can get the s/n's without having to take a wire brush to it and messing it up! Wish us luck on that!

Jason

[Chappie]

I had never seen this thread before. I am utterly disgusted at the Navy's treatment of this aircraft and thier policy concerning wrecks of Navy aircraft in general. I'm just...just...disgusted!!


Chappie

[DaveM2]

I had never seen this thread before. I am utterly disgusted at the Navy's treatment of this aircraft and thier policy concerning wrecks of Navy aircraft in general. I'm just...just...disgusted!!


Chappie

Their policy is far better than it was, so less of the disgust and more of the grateful-if you want them to continue to allow recoveries from Michigan.
The pile of junk Corsair remains were never going to be anything but that - a pile of junk.

[Shay]

WAYYYYYY ahead of you on that one! I have a buddy of mine trying to locate something that will eat through the rust and clean off the sealife buildup on the guns so that we can get the s/n's without having to take a wire brush to it and messing it up! Wish us luck on that!

Jason

Instead of "eating through" the rust maybe you might consider "transferring" it. Have seen pretty good results and the process is pretty straight forward.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8vT2mdXBs8&playnext=1&list=PL9E5B6DB6CEF6C663

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[Chappie]

I had never seen this thread before. I am utterly disgusted at the Navy's treatment of this aircraft and thier policy concerning wrecks of Navy aircraft in general. I'm just...just...disgusted!!


Chappie

Their policy is far better than it was, so less of the disgust and more of the grateful-if you want them to continue to allow recoveries from Michigan.
The pile of junk Corsair remains were never going to be anything but that - a pile of junk.

Ok, yes they do allow recovery, but then (as far as I have read) the aircraft is wisked away to Pensacola never to fly again...to gather dust in a hanger, storage building, or musuem. If there are organizations and individuals who have the resoucres to return these aircraft to flight the Navy should relent and allow that to do be done.

Piece of junk? Sorry, I can't see it that way. Just look at what Ezell Aviation is doing wth Lex Cralley's F3A-1 Corsair. The Cralley case is just another shining example of the Navy's policy about historic aircraft.


Chappie

[Dusty_Dog_01]

Thanks Shay, I have the next few days off so I will try that and let you know how it turns out!

Jason

[DaveM2]

I had never seen this thread before. I am utterly disgusted at the Navy's treatment of this aircraft and thier policy concerning wrecks of Navy aircraft in general. I'm just...just...disgusted!!


Chappie

Their policy is far better than it was, so less of the disgust and more of the grateful-if you want them to continue to allow recoveries from Michigan.
The pile of junk Corsair remains were never going to be anything but that - a pile of junk.

Ok, yes they do allow recovery, but then (as far as I have read) the aircraft is wisked away to Pensacola never to fly again...to gather dust in a hanger, storage building, or musuem. If there are organizations and individuals who have the resoucres to return these aircraft to flight the Navy should relent and allow that to do be done.

Piece of junk? Sorry, I can't see it that way. Just look at what Ezell Aviation is doing wth Lex Cralley's F3A-1 Corsair. The Cralley case is just another shining example of the Navy's policy about historic aircraft.


Chappie

Just look where Lex's Corsair came from to start with- you have obviously never laid eyes on a corroded wreck from the bottom of the sea- a dose of reality doesn't hurt now and then. The Navy allowed two Michigan aircraft to fly -and with a bit more encouragement and a bit less abuse they maybe persuaded to allow more in the future, or perhaps you would be happier if they just reversed their new policy and left the others underwater? Not everything can or should fly.

[JDK]

Piece of junk? Sorry, I can't see it that way.

It would be exactly like trying to restore an Alka-Seltzer. The effects of salt water are savage.

It's fizzy junk, and so far even without an identity!

The ID would be good to establish, though.

Regards,