I was able to spend some time on the Island of Guam earlier this year. As many of you know, there is a ton of World War Two history there and on other Mariana Islands- thankfully, I was able to experience quite a bit of it!
One of the most fascinating journeys I had was to find and explore the wreckage of a Marine F4U Corsair fighter plane, which crashed in the jungles of Guam during an attempted landing at Orote Airfield on Naval Base Guam in 1944. Over the past 80 years, this incredible relic has laid in “arrested decay” deep in the jungle on today’s naval base.
The F4U Corsair is one of the most recognizable aircraft from WWII due to its iconic curved wings and the unique high-pitched sound it made (the Japanese nicknamed it “Whistling Death”). The Corsair has a wingspan of 41 feet, a length of 33 feet 4 inches, and a max speed of over 400mph with its Pratt & Whitney engine. Truly, it is one of the most exciting aircraft to fly and made a heck of a carrier-based fighter.
I am happy to take you along on this journey to see some of our less-accessible history!