"Block Island Corsair"

1/48 Tamiya F4U-1D

Gallery Article by Mark L. Rossmann on Feb 1 2016

 

      

USS Block Island
Departing San Diego, California in May 1943, Block Island steamed to Norfolk, Virginia, to join the Atlantic Fleet, she operated as part of a hunter-killer group. During her four anti-submarine cruises, Block Island′s planes sank two submarines: U-220 in on 28 October 1943 and U-1059 on 19 March 1944. She shared credit with destroyer Corry and destroyer escort Bronstein for the sinking of U-801 on 17 March 1944 and with Buckley for U-66 sunk on 6 May 1944. 

Block Island was torpedoed off the Canary Islands at 20:13 on May 29, 1944. U-549 had slipped undetected through her screen. The submarine put three torpedoes into the carrier before being sunk herself. The carrier lost 6 men in the attack; the remaining 951 were picked up by the escort screen.

The new USS Block Island (CVE-106) was a Commencement Bay class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was the second ship to carry her name, done in honor of the first one. 

Being launched 12 days after the original was sunk, June 10,1944 as Sunset Bay by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc. Tacoma, Washington; sponsored by Mrs. E. J. (Grace) Hallenbeck (mother of Major Pappy Boyington, then a Prisoner of War of the Japanese), and commissioned as Block Island on 30 December 1944, Captain F. M. Hughes in command.

Block Island got underway for Pearl Harbor on 20 March 1945. Upon arrival she underwent a period of provisioning and training in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa. On 17 April, Block Island left Hawaii and steamed toward Okinawa, via Ulithi. 

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History
The vast Central pacific was the main battlefield for carriers and the SW Pacific was well suited for land based aircraft. The Navy was very nervous about stationing a Corsair unit on an aircraft carrier, even though the Brit’s already proved it could be done. VF-17 first demonstrated the suitability of Corsairs for carrier operations before it made its final deployment as a land based unit. They had worked extensively with Vought’s technicians to help improve the shortcomings this aircraft had. The results convinced the Bureau of Aeronautics to approve the Corsair for carrier use in April of “44”. However, by that time the Hellcat was in widespread use by the fast carrier fleet, instead of the F4U. 

By mid-1944 aerial opposition over the Solomons-Rabaul area dwindled and there was no more useful purpose to maintain large amounts of interceptor Corsairs. However, a new role was found, that of the fighter-bomber. The war was moving north to the Philippines, Mariana’s and ultimately Japan, but to get there the Corsair had to go afloat.

The Navy had finally cleared the Corsair for shipboard use, ironically it was a Marine unit to first deploy on a carrier. Operationally the Corsair was a better aircraft than the Hellcat, it was faster, lift heavier war loads carry 8 HVAR’s to 6 for the Hellcat and could take more punishment. As the war was now truly carrier based, fifteen land based USMC corsair squadrons were decommissioned. 

By late ‘44’ the Japanese long lost air supremacy and was now training kamikaze pilots. In the end these suicide units sank more shipping than the three previous years of war. To combat this the Navy decided to reduce dive and torpedo units on carriers with Hellcats. One catch, there weren’t enough fighter pilots, the thought was to retrain the torpedo and dive bomber pilots, but it was taking too long. It was then suggested to use the USMC squadrons already trained on the Corsair to fill the fighter gap.

Training commenced at Hawaii on the USS Bataan, Makassar Straight and Commencement Class CVE’s. In the first month of operations USMC F4U-1D’s flew 658 sorties and claimed 10 Japanese aircraft in the air and 16 on the ground. Only 1 pilot and two planes were lost in combat while 7 pilots and 15 planes were lost operationally. Both Essex based USMC Corsair units took part in the Iwo Jima invasion with ground attack missions, this was the first and only time in WWII that Marine ground units got support from Carrier-based USMC squadrons.

As initial USMC Corsair squadrons finished their tours around March of “45” they were being replaced by Navy Corsair squadrons. 

A fresh group of Marine Corsair units joined the Okinawa invasion including those of the USS Block Island. Marine Fighting Squadron 511 (VMF-511) was activated on January 1, 1944, at Marine Corps Auxiliary Air Field Oak Grove, North Carolina. They were a part of Marine Aircraft Group 51 (MAG-51) and their original mission was to take part in Operation Crossbow (Project Danny), an ill-conceived plan to have Marine squadrons aboard escort carriers hunt down V-1 flying bomb launch sites in eastern France. After that operation was canceled, the new mission for MAG-51 and VMF-511 was to train for deployment aboard Navy carriers in the Pacific. 

On May 10, 1945, the squadron saw its first combat during the Battle of Okinawa when it attacked Japanese mortar positions. For the next month they provided close air support for Marines and soldiers on the ground during the battle. The squadron was also a part of the effort to reduce Shuri Castle and interdict small water craft. During this time the squadron lost its commanding officer, Major Robert Maze, when his F4U Corsair was hit by flak from Ishigaki Island and crashed into the East China Sea. In mid-June, the USS Block Island was relieved from duty off the coast of Okinawa and ordered to Leyte in the Philippines. From there, they supported the early stages of the Australian 7th Division's invasion of Balikpapan. They returned to Leyte on July 4, 1945, and did not see combat for the rest of the war. Still aboard the USS Block Island when WWII ended, VMF (CVS)-511's final missions were flown in support of the Japanese surrender of Formosa. 

The Corsair ended the war with a total of thirteen units on board carriers, 7 USN and 6 USMC. It proved to be the best fighter aircraft in inventory of both services. In the end, Corsair units downed 2,146 planes for the loss of only 189 Corsairs. 

Model
This is the Tamiya 1/48 F4U-1D, not much more needs to be said. It allows for open canopy, folded wings and lowered flaps and offers 3 decal variants. I chose to have the wings folded as many pictures show corsairs ready for combat on the decks of carriers. This is from VMF-511 from with the geometric design of the white block with an imbedded black “I”, for USS Block Island. The old decals (MicroScale 48-290) went on just fine with a little extra soaking and coaxing with Micro Sol. Used Testors paint for interior colors and Testors Deep Sea Blue rattle can for the exterior, finish is with Testors Dullcoat. 

References:

  • 1. Wikipedia

  • 2. WarPaint Series No. 70 “Vought F4U CORSAIR” by Charles Stafrace

  • 3. Microscale Decals #48-290

Thanks to Steve for a great site.

Regards

Mark L. Rossmann

Photos and text © by Mark L. Rossmann