F6F-5K BuNo

[beldridg]

Hi all,

We have found another airplane wreck. This time it is a F6F-5K drone off the coast of NAS Pt Mugu (makes total sense). We know the BuNo is 722x3. There are only 10 possibilities and based on Joe Baughers list, we know the following:

72203 F6F-5N (VF-84) attached to USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) lost off Okinawa Mar 2, 1945 (BuNos!)
72213 (VBF-17) attached to USS Hornet (CV-12) lost off le ShimaMar 31, 1945 (BuNos!)
72223 ?
72233 converted to F6F-5K drone. To NAF R&D China Lake by Feb 1957. SOC Jun 14, 1957
72243 (VF-30) attached to USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) lost off Japan Apr 2, 1945 (BuNos!)
72253 F6F-5H (VF(N)-53) attached to USS Saratoga (CV-3) lost off Tokyo Feb 21, 1945 (BuNos!)
72263 ??
72273 ??
72283 ??
72293 72293 (VBF-12) attached to USS Randolph (CV-15) lost off Tokyo Feb 17, 1945 (BuNos!)

Our current guess is that it is 72273.

Any thoughts or does anybody have access to a list of all BuNo's that were converted to drones? That might help us narrow it down some more. Here are some photos of model I built and of the tail area:

Regards,

- brett

 

[GreenKnight121]

Certainly looks like the partial number is a 7, as that is the only available number with a diagonal component.

 

[mjfur]

Send an e-mail here, Emil Buehler Library
requesting a copy of the Aircraft History Card for F6F-5 BuNo 72273. They are usually pretty quick with a response.

 

[beldridg]

Send an e-mail here, Emil Buehler Library
requesting a copy of the Aircraft History Card for F6F-5 BuNo 72273. They are usually pretty quick with a response.

Thanks for the tip. I just emailed them and will report back if/when we hear anything.

- brett

 

[beldridg]

Send an e-mail here, Emil Buehler Library
requesting a copy of the Aircraft History Card for F6F-5 BuNo 72273. They are usually pretty quick with a response.

You were right - they were very responsive! I got a reply back today (Saturday) with the history card. It aligns with our assumptions. I'll be publishing our blog post in the next day or two and will reference it here. It is a really nice wreck.

Thanks for the tip!

- brett

 

[beldridg]

Here is the final article with a ton of photos, historical information, a "live" 3D photogrammetry model, etc:

F6F-5K Hellcat #72273 (Pt Mugu – 200 fsw)

Intro Tyler had a list of targets that we had looked at earlier this year which resulted in the Hellcat wreck and then also the Squeezer Dredge barge. We had scanned a few others during those trips…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

- brett

 

[CHAD VEICH]

Very interesting! I would love to see a Hellcat preserved in drone colors. I have never done the research to figure out just how many but it seems as though a large portion of surviving Hellcats were drone conversions so it seems logical that one be preserved as such. I have a keen interest in all things Hellcat related and built a radio controlled flying model of F6F-5K BuNo 72809 about 12 years ago.

 

[SaparotRob]

Pretty cool!

 

[beldridg]

Very interesting! I would love to see a Hellcat preserved in drone colors. I have never done the research to figure out just how many but it seems as though a large portion of surviving Hellcats were drone conversions so it seems logical that one be preserved as such. I have a keen interest in all things Hellcat related and built a radio controlled flying model of F6F-5K BuNo 72809 about 12 years ago.

Wow - that is very cool!

I'm doing a second dive on another wreck we found earlier this year (with hopes of identifying it) that we think is another Hellcat Drone.

- brett