Lake Michigan F6F recovery and restoration thread

[mustangdriver]

I'm with Steve, I'll take one.

[Shay]

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/f6f/25839.html

Dunno if this was posted or not, but it looks like one of this Hellcat's VF-38 squadron sisters still exists. Even though under water she looks to be in great shape.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[Shay]

Thought this was interesting picture found on Flickr, as it says VF-38 and there is a Hellcat with a "2"



Caption states: "The Navy's newest fighter, the Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat ready for action at the Turtle Bay Airstrip Espirtu Santo Sept 1943.Line up of F6F-3 Hellcats VF-38, VF-40 and Marine Vought F4U-1 Corsairs in background."


Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[cg51]

Loads of SBD's and TBJ Avengers. Unfortunately it seems no-one wants Avengers.

Its a bummer but think about it
250K avarage recovery cost
restoration cost ? Maybe 400-600K or more to airworthy, just a big guess!
Average going rate for TBM in good flying condition 260-280K, 400K if aircraft is really nice.
not really cost affective at the time unless TBM's go up in value
Just my .02c

[cg51]

"Quote" Loads of SBD's and TBJ Avengers. Unfortunately it seems no-one wants Avengers. "Quote"

Its a bummer but think about it
250K avarage recovery cost
restoration cost ? Maybe 400-600K or more to airworthy, just a big guess!
Average going rate for TBM in good flying condition 260-280K, 400K if aircraft is really nice.
not really cost affective at the time unless TBM's go up in value
Just my .02c[/quote]

[YAF340]

I shot these 12/07/09, in my short sleeves. JOE http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk25 ... %207%2009/

[RyanShort1]

Average going rate for TBM in good flying condition 260-280K, 400K if aircraft is really nice.
not really cost affective at the time unless TBM's go up in value

[/quote]
Any of them combat veterans? That might make a little difference in value.

Ryan

[cg51]

Combat history would help the value some, but i don't think enough to make the recovery worth while unless maybe it was a TBM that Bush or another well known pilot had flown.

[shepsair]

Shay

Yes, I know about this photo and another one which shows the side number on the fin.

Yes, this is White 2 but is thought to have belonged to VF-33 or VF-40 also operating with VF-38.

It is thought VF-38 had the side number on the fin and as the fin was missing we could not confirm. Though White 2 on the engine cowling there was no White 2 next to the stars and bar on the fuselage. The other numbers are thought to be 135 (few weeks with VF-8), DF (few weeks at Jacksonville NAS) and F-28 (CQTU NAS Glenview).

Yes, this is a sister ship and named.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/f6f/25839.html

Just need to find out now if 25910 is 'named' .

regards

Mark

[seabee1526]

Nice shots Joe, Once YAM gets a roof, I'll think we'll need one of these

[mh53eflyguy]

Here she is!

Truth be told, I actually got the heads up from Owen Miller on it's arrival. On a leisure ride into Alabama from Pensacola, and on the return trip I overtook the flatbed that it was sitting on! It was heading east on I-10! I didn't have my camera, but I did slow up for a few good looks at it before continuing on my way.

Today after duty I ran down to the museum and shot these pictures. The reclamation has begun with the fresh water rinse, and the mussels that I had seen on the flatbed (and in the picture on the pier) have been mostly removed and were actually washed off around the area I was shooting from. What was left of the starboard wing was off, as was the horizontal stab, cowl, and engine, which was intact when I saw it on the highway.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/19178908@N02/4174709272/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/19178908@N02/4174703236/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/19178908@N02/4174715774/


Pardon me as I'm having issues getting them attached as an image file. These are on my flickr page, and I'm not saying that for a shameless self promotion, I promise!

Last edited by mh53eflyguy on Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:40 am, edited 2 times in total.

[marine air]

Maybe for the 100th anniversary of U. S. Naval Aviation, they can strike a deal to recover 1oo aircraft from Lake Michigan and elsewhere with help from corporate sponsors. Instead of it costing $250,000 per effort, maybe they could scale up, and retrieve them for a cost of say $100,000 each.
The TBF's are very likely combat veterans and would bring more money if you could get the retrienval costs down.

[Owen Miller]

Good job Scott! Keep 'em coming brother.
"The Folks" love this stuff.

Sure want to see some of that RF-8 as it
becomes a VFP-62 bird!!!

Thanks again,
Owen

[tom d. friedman]

a little fyi on the zebra mussels now blown off the hellcat........ while they are in a garbage can now, they are still alive. they can live out of water for better than a week. the ohio dept of natural rescources encourages boaters who trailor their boats to clean them before launching in a different lake, because once back in the water they will kick back into gear. hence there are countless inland lakes here that are infested as well.

[mh53eflyguy]

a little fyi on the zebra mussels now blown off the hellcat........ while they are in a garbage can now, they are still alive. they can live out of water for better than a week. the ohio dept of natural rescources encourages boaters who trailor their boats to clean them before launching in a different lake, because once back in the water they will kick back into gear. hence there are countless inland lakes here that are infested as well.

These were on the ground yesterday morning. You might want to have the folks check just outside the fence facing the parking lot, and there are quite a few visible on the ground around the Hellcat in the pictures I captured yesterday. I didn't see any in the drainage ditch, but there was an abundance of them. I don't know if these are those dreaded Zebra Mussels, but these look like the same ones I saw on the fuselage when it was on the flatbed traveling down I-10. Whatever kind of crustaceans they are, I bet would be tasty with some warm melted butter.....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/19178908@N02/4175859451/