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THIS ITEM IS INCLUDED IN OUR BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE OFFER ! Choose any two prints in this special offer and the lower priced item is half price. (Any free bonus prints already supplied with an item are separate and will also be included !) Hundreds of items across our websites are included in this offer! |
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Signatures on this item | |
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
Name | Info |
Cdr Guy Lucky Pierre Bordelon Jr USN (deceased) *Signature Value : £50 | Guy Pierre Bordelon was born in Ruston, Louisiana on February 1, 1922. Bordelon graduated from Bolton High School in Alexandria, Louisiana in 1939. He then attended Louisiana Tech, and later LSU. While at LSU, with WWII raging, Bordelon entered the US Navy as an Aviation Cadet. He reported to the University of Georgia in September of 1942 for his pre-flight training. In May of 1943 he was commissioned as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Thereafter he he served in various fleet and training units. In March of 1944 Bordelon married the former Anne Craig Taylor of Ruston, Louisiana. On August 1, 1946 Bordelon augmented to the regular Navy, and was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant (SG). As a Lieutenant, Bordelon served in Intelligence and Operations/ Logistics billets on Staff, CMDR of crusier division Three during the early stages of the Korean War. Following this tour he returned to combat flying duties with VC-3. This specialized command trained and deployed night combat Corsair units on board all carriers operating off the coast of Korea. During 1952 and 1953 Bordelon was Officer-In-Charge of Detatchment 'D' on board the USS Princeton (CV-37) In June of 1953 the Fifth Air Force requested help from the Navy in defending against evening raids from enemy propellor driven aircraft. Nicknamed 'Bedcheck Charlies' by the UN gorund forces, these night attacks were quite succesful at destroying large quantities of supplies, munitions and fuel, and the radar equipped night jet fighters flown by the Air Force were too fast to successfully attack these low flying, highly maneuverable intruders. Bordelon and his wingman Ralph 'Hoppy' Hopson were ordered ashore to assist the Fifth Air Force. Augmented by two other F4U5N Corsairs from the USS Philippine Sea, Bordelon and his wingman flew nightly combat air patrols between June 29 and July 16, 1953. Bordelon, flying an aircraft named 'Annie-Mo' after his wife, destroyed five enemy aircraft during these missions including three Lavachkin lls and two Yakolev 18s. Credited with his five victories Bordelon became the Navy's first and only ace in Korea. He also became the last American pilot to reach ace status while flying a propeller driven aircraft. During the Vietnam War Bordelon served as Deputy Commander, Fleet Air Western Pacific. This command provided logistical support and repairs for all naval and marine aviation units in the Pacific. 's last service with the Navy included participation in Apollo Moon Mission recovery with Task Force 140 in the Atlantic. Bordelon retired from the Navy in 1969 following twenty-seven years of service. His thirty seven decorations include the Navy Cross, 2 Silver Stars, the Korean Order of Military Merit, and the NASA Outstanding Service Medal. He died on 19th December 2002. |
The Aircraft : | |
Name | Info |
Corsair | The Chance-Vought F4U Corsair was arguably the finest naval aviation fighter of its era. Work on this design dates to 1938 and was headed-up by Voughts Chief Engineer, Rex Biesel. The initial prototype was powered by an 1800-HP Pratt & Whitney double Wasp radial engine. This was the third Vought aircraft to carry the Corsair name. The graceful and highly recognizable gull-wing design of the F4U permitted the aircraft to utilize a 13-foot, three-blade, Hamilton Standard propeller, while not having to lengthen the landing gear. Because of the rigors of carrier landings, this was a very important design consideration. Folding wings were also required for carrier operations. The F4U was thirty feet long, had a wingspan of 41 feet and an empty weight of approximately 7,500 pounds. Another interesting feature was the way the F4Us gear rotated 90 degrees, so it would lay flush within the wing when in the up position. In 1939 the Navy approved the design, and production commenced. The Corsair utilized a new spot welding process on its all aluminum fuselage, giving the aircraft very low drag. To reduce weight, fabric-covered outer wing sections and control surfaces were fitted. In May of 1940 the F4U made its maiden flight. Although a number of small bugs were discovered during early flight tests, the Corsair had exceptional performance characteristics. In October of 1940 the prototype F4U was clocked at 405-MPH in a speed test. The initial production Corsairs received an upgraded 2,000-HP radial giving the bird a top speed of about 425-MPH. The production models also differed from the prototype in having six, wing-mounted, 0.5 caliber machine guns. Another change was a shift of the cockpit about three feet further back in the fuselage. This latter change unfortunately made naval aviators wary of carrier landings with the F4U, due to its limited forward visibility during landings. Other concerns were expressed regarding a severe port wing drop at landing speeds and a tendency of the aircraft to bounce off a carrier deck. As a result, the F4U was initially limited to land-based USMC squadrons. Vought addressed several of these problems, and the Royal Navy deserves credit for perfecting an appropriate landing strategy for the F4U. They found that if the carrier pilot landed the F4U while making a sweeping left turn with the port wing down, that sufficient visibility was available to make a safe landing. With a kill ratio of 11 -to- 1 in WW 11 combat, the F4U proved superior in the air to almost every opposing aircraft it encountered. More than 12,000 F4Us were built and fortunately a few dozen remain in flyable condition to this date. |
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