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Running up after unfolding the wings and still tied down. Grumman E-1B Tracer – possibly with VAW-111 Detachment 20, ‘Hunters’. Modex 760 with unit identifier letters ‘RR’ on tail plane. CVS-20 USS Bennington. Possibly E-1B BuNo 148920 from the April to November 1968 Vietnam War deployment with Carrier Anti-Submarine Air Group 59 (CVGS-59) where it is recorded as number 760. (Although they have been pictured sporting circular decoration around the nose) www.gonavy.jp/CVSG-NTf.html www.gonavy.jp/CVSG59-NT1968.html CVSG-59 (NT) CVS-20 USS BENNINGTON April 30, 1968 – November 9, 1968 (WestPac, Vietnam War) Modex…………….. Squadron…………………….. Aircraft 00, 11-12, 14-20…. VS-33 Screwbirds…………… S-2E 30-39……………… VS-38 Red Griffins………….. S-2E 50-62……………… HS-8 Eightballers……………. SH-3A (RR)760-763……... VAW-111 DET.20 Hunters….. E-1B My thanks to Japanese website “GO!NAVY” and citizen of Japan, Takafumi Hiroe.

E-1B Tracer BuNo 147211 VAW-111 ‘Hunters’. Unit shore code RR. Side number 011. From USS Hornet January 1970. www.forgottenprops.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/E-1B.html Grumman WF-2 (E-1B) Tracer BuNo 147211 …………………………………….. 1976-77: RVAW-110 as NM-011. June 25,1977: Put into storage at Military Aircraft Storage and Disposal Center (MASDC) Arizona. Assigned five digit MASDC Process Control Number (PCN): 1E057. May 29, 1978: Struck off charge. Nov. 9, 1981: Sold off as surplus to Consolidated Aero Corp which became United Aeronautical Corporation, Tucson, AZ. Last noted Aug 2002. Belatedly salvaged.

Reserve Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 78 (VAW-78) 'Fighting Escargots' Grumman E-1B Tracer. Code AW of CVSGR-70 (Antisubmarine Carrier Air Group Reserve 70) Possibly on CVS-16 USS Lexington. CVSGR-70 was a U.S Navy Reserve Air Wing that was established May 1, 1970 at NAS Norfolk and disestablished July 30, 1976. www.gonavy.jp/navy/sqn/VAW078.html VAW-78 Deployed only once with the E-1B Tracer 17 Aug 1971 – 26 Aug 1971 E-1B CVS-14 USS Wasp with CVSGR-70 coded AW-77x for local operations in the WestLant. After that, only the E-2B & C Hawkeye was used on carrier deployments. In September 1975, when the CV concept of combining antisubmarine aircraft with attack carrier airwings was being implemented, VAW-78 joined Reserve Carrier Air Wing 20 (CVWR-20) and replaced the disbanded VAW-207. In 1977, VAW-78 transitioned to the E-2B Hawkeye and from March 1983 upgraded to the E-2C version.