The Snapshots in Time Collection
Wrecked FM-2 Wildcat Fighter Being Recovered by Flight Deck Crash Crane, USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80), WWII
Flight deck crewmen and a mobile crash crane work to clear a wrecked FM-2 Wildcat fighter, its fuselage crumpled and propeller bent from a hard deck landing. Squadron aircraft aboard escort carriers such as USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80) bore distinctive markings, including this shamrock tail insignia, and deck crews trained to quickly clear crashed planes to keep flight operations running. Project: 218467