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| USMC MAW-2 MAG-11 VMF-122  Stockbridge 2012 |
Pilot Captain Carroll E. McCullah (survived) Alliance, NB Ditched November 21, 1944 Aircraft History Built by Goodyear Aircraft Corporation in Akron, Ohio. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as FG-1A Corsair bureau number 14053. Disassembled and shipped overseas to the Pacific and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the United States Marine Corps (USMC), Marine Air Wing 2 (MAW-2), Marine Air Group 11 (MAG-11), Marine Fighting Squadron 122 (VMF-122) "Werewolves/Candystripers". No known nickname, nose art or squadron number. Mission History On November 21, 1944 took off from Peleliu Airfield on Peleliu Island piloted by Captain Carroll E. McCullah on a combat mission. This Corsair ditched onto the western reef off Koror Island. The pilot survived unhurt. Rescue McCullah was rescued and returned to duty. Wreckage The plane is upright on the seafloor of western reef off Koror Island. The cockpit canopy was open with a soft coral on the nose and propeller slightly bent from the ditching. On March 21, 2012 this Corsair was discovered by local divers spear fishing including Ngatibuchel Uchel and Aikman Megreos, Ililau Bausoch, Skilang Ililau, Dairon Rediall and Sabadong Ngirbedul at a depth of 45', roughly 200m inside the western reef intact off Koror Island. Afterwards, they reported the aircraft to Neco Marine dive shop owner Shallum Etpison, who later reported it to Bent Prop. On March 22, 2012, Shallum Etpison led a team of divers from Bent Prop P-MAN XIV led by Dr. Patrick J. Scannon to the newly discovered plane. They designated the site as 14CORSAIR. They made repeated dives on the site over the next eight days. On March 26, 2012 the team found the cockpit identification plate, verifying the plane was as FG-1 Corsair identification plate with manufacture number 3062 and bureau number 14053. On March 29, 2012 manned by Stockbridge Advanced Underwater Robotics used a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to record video footage of the plane. On April 10, 2014 a team from Bent Prop P-MAN XVI led by Dr. Patrick J. Scannon again dove the plane and recorded additional photographs and video. Memorials McCullah earned the Air Medal and claimed two aerial victories on July 7, 1943. He served in the Korean War and retired with the rank of Lt. Col. He passed away on April 21, 2017 at age 96 and is buried at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery at section 5 site 1800. References The pilot's surname is spelled as "Mc McCullah", "McCullough" and "McCulloh" in wartime records Navy Serial Number Search Results - FG-1A Corsair 14053 USN Overseas Aircraft Loss List November 1944 - FG-1A Corsair 14053 NARA Unit History of Marine Fighting Squadron One Twenty Two (VMF-122) pages 10, 13 (Page 10) Awards to squadron personnel (1 March 1942 - 1 July 1944) Air Medal / Capt C. E. Mc McCullah (Page 13) Enemy Planes destroyed in combat - Capt C. E. Mc McCullah / 7 July 1943 / 2-Mitsubishi 01 NARA Marine Fighting Squadron One Twenty Two (VMF-122) War Diary November 1944 Pacific Islands Report "Intact World War II Corsair Found in Palau Waters" March 22, 2012 via Wayback Machine August 7, 2012 Bent Prop - Site Survey Form Captain C.E. McCullah (survived), Western Reef, Republic of Palau [PDF] Facebook - Special Projects Lab: Video of our ROV over the Corsair shot by BentProp March 29, 2012 Facebook - Special Projects Lab: Video of the Corsair taken by the ROV March 29, 2012 Bent Prop - P-MAN XVI Update # 28 - Newly discovered shipwrecks. Once more to the Corsair April 10, 2014 FindAGrave - LTC Carroll Earl McCullah Thanks to Neco Marine, Bent Prop and Stockbridge Advanced Underwater Robotics for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated December 5, 2022 |
 FG  Photo Archive  45' / 15m |
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