Corsair identification / history help

[lowflybye]

I need some help. Through some friends of a friend I was able to obtain this enlargement of the original photo. The #3 ship is Maj. Charles H Watkins, Jr of O’Charley’s and Cheeseburger Charley’s fame. Charlie passed away in 2011 and his family allowed a mutual friend to make some enlargements of the original photo and one copy made its way to me. Charlie served in the USMC as a pilot for 20 years before retiring in 1963…we did not find out when / where this photo was taken and the family would like to know as well. I cannot find any information on the LL Tail Code other than HEDRON-2 assigned to the USS Coral Sea but those were numbers 4XX and these are single digit...Any ideas?

[mike furline]

No idea if accurate, but HedRon-2 MCAS Beaufort, SC.

http://www.wings-aviation.ch/28-Marines ... sis-en.htm

[lowflybye]

I believe the F4u-4P's were assigned to Beaufort, SC and if I am not mistaken these are -5P...I had run across some info that the HedRon-2 F4U-5P had been assigned to Cherry Point, but do not know if that is accurate.

[mike furline]

http://www.mcara.us/VMP-354.php