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Uruguayan Navy's Grumman F-6F Hellcat

Posted by Tulio on Tue Nov 18, 2003 02:41:03 AM

URUGUAYAN NAVY F-6F HELLCATS


Shortly before the acquisition of the Grumman F-6F Hellcats by Uruguay, for their Naval Air Service, these air arm operated:

3 Sikorsky OS2U-3
1 Grumman J4F
3 Fairchild PT-19.

The first stage of re-supplying the air assets consisted on the acquisition of 16 Grumman TBM Avenger and 3 North American AT-6 / SNJ Texans.

The Avengers, the Texans and the Hellcats were acquired through ?Cobell Industries, Inc.?

The contract was signed for 12 aircraft, in order to keep one squadron operational, one in reserve and one in maintenance.

Originally, 13 Naval aviation elements were sent to the USA for training, and after a technical team had selected and overhauled the chosen airplanes, these were transferred to the Uruguayan pilots who continued on them, the training that had already been underway for 270 days. During the continued training operations, two accidents took place, causing the total loss of:

A-451
A-454

A-454 would be later on transported by ship to Uruguay, to be cannibalized for spares.

Ten Hellcats undertook the ferry flight from Fort Worth, TX to Capitan Curbelo NAB in Uruguay, beginning on 28 March 1952.

The aircraft and pilots were:

A-450 C/C Omar Aguirre, Commanding.
A-401 A/N Hugo Martini.
A-402 G/M Ricardo Chella
A-403 G/M Salvador Bravo
A-404 A/N Washington Aguirre
A-405 G/M Jose Larralde
A-406 C/C Carlos Mari
A-452 G/M Luis Rivero
A-453 A/N Claudinet Bernet
A-455 T/N Enrique Falco.

C/C - Capitan de Corbeta
A/N - Alferez de Navio
G/M - Guardia Marina
T/N - Teniente de Navio

The route followed:

Fort Worth to Pensacola 28Mar52
Pensacola to Miami 30Mar52
Miami to Guantanamo 04Apr52
Guantanamo to San Juan PR 06Apr52
San Juan to Trinidad 08Apr52
Trinidad to Dutch Guyana 09Apr52
Dutch Guyana to Belem, Brazil 10Apr52
Belem to Fortaleza 12Apr52
Fortaleza to Natal 13Apr52
Natal to Salvador 14Apr52
Salvador to Caravelas 15Apr52
Caravelas to Rio de Janeiro 15Apr52
Rio de Janeiro to Porto Alegre 20Apr52
Porto Alegre to Capt. Curbelo, Uruguay 22Apr52

Average flight time was 52 hours, average speed 150 kts. There were no incidents or accidents reported.

Training, patrolling and flag-showing missions occupied the time of these aircraft in Uruguayan service. Some aircraft were lost due to attrition, and by 1960 when 6 Hellcats remained operational, four of them undertook what it would become their last flight, on 01June60:

A-404 T/N J. Maggiolo
A-406 A/N A. Sosa
A-453 A/N L. Azzato
A-401 T/N L. Chiaparro

Not a single example was preserved for posterity, and it is assumed -not confirmed- that all 6 Hellcats were broken up.

(Data abstracted from an article by Mr. Nelson P. Acosta, member of the Aeronautical History Academy, Uruguay).


Saludos!


Tulio

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