Famous photos of F6F-3 BuNo 66101 (VF-25) USS Cowpens ...

[Mark Allen M]

I'd take a guess most of us have seen one or two photos of this incident showing a Grumman F6F-3 (#3) BuNo 66101 of VF-25 that was aboard the carrier USS Cowpens (CV-25). The pilot was Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Alfred W. Magee, Jr., USNR. The plane was BuNo# 66101. Most accounts state he was landing unaware that his Hellcat was on fire. This happened during the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign on 24 November 1943. The fire started as the Hellcat approached USS Cowpens for an emergency landing. The pilot was not hurt.
below a wiki link explaining the Campaign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilbert_a ... s_campaign

If I recall these first three photos came from a LIFE magazine from 1943.

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Sun Jan 21, 2018 2:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Mark Allen M]

... but ... I've always been convinced that there were always more photos taken of certain events during WWII that most of us have not seen. This was/is due to wartime censoring and simply time passing with little to no reason to allow access to any others. This is until recently when people, such as myself a few time now, have paid visits to the National Archives. I'm glad people are doing this as there's quite a bit of history that is much better explained with additional photos to dissect, research and study. Lots of history has been, can be and will continue to be distorted, twisted and embellished upon without seeing the "real story" ...

[Mark Allen M]

... So ... here's more relatively rare photos showing and explaining more of this particular event.
All posted photos are official U.S. Navy photographs, now in the collections of the National Archives.

I'll try to post them in order.

[Mark Allen M]

[Mark Allen M]

[Mark Allen M]

[old iron]

It looks to me like the airplane pushed off the desk is not the same one that landed on fired, but rather one that was already parked near the front of the carrier, and can be seen in the last of the earlier pictures.

[Mark Allen M]

No. that's the same Hellcat. That's an Avenger you see with the partial wing fold. Notice the Hellcat being pushed off and the photo showing the Hellcat splashing into the sea has burned tail feathers. It's the same aircraft.

[Kyleb]

No. that's the same Hellcat. That's an Avenger you see with the partial wing fold. Notice the Hellcat being pushed off and the photo showing the Hellcat splashing into the sea has burned tail feathers. It's the same aircraft.

The belly is also scorched, as you can see from one of the other photos.

[old iron]

An unrelated USS Cowpens quesiton:

There was a framed photo of the USS Cowpens in my dad's effects after he died. I assume this is because he did his carrier training aboard the Cowpens, in I am guessing the early 1950s. But Wikipedia says that the Cowpens "served the US Navy from 1943 to 1947" though it was not stricken from the naval register until late 1959.

Can anyone confirm that the Cowpens was used in training during the 1950s.

My dad never talked to us about his naval experiences, and we never asked. A regret.

[CoastieJohn]

No. that's the same Hellcat. That's an Avenger you see with the partial wing fold. Notice the Hellcat being pushed off and the photo showing the Hellcat splashing into the sea has burned tail feathers. It's the same aircraft.

I wonder if they tried to fold the wings and raised the flaps before they pushed it over?

[sandiego89]

And the LSO probably gave him: "Fair 4 wire, high...."

Thank for posting.