![The USS Enterprise conducted flight training when steaming from Hawaii to Tonga on 15 Jul 1942. Here an F4F-4 Wildcat fighter crashed into the sea when approaching the carrier for a landing; pilot rescued. [Colorized by WW2DB]](/images/ai/20230224/55f2136bee62a.jpg)
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| Caption | The USS Enterprise conducted flight training when steaming from Hawaii to Tonga on 15 Jul 1942. Here an F4F-4 Wildcat fighter crashed into the sea when approaching the carrier for a landing; pilot rescued. [Colorized by WW2DB] ww2dbase | |||||
| Colorization Note | This photograph was originally a black and white photograph; the colorized version presented here was a derivative work by WW2DB. The colors used in this version were speculative, and could be significantly different from the real colors. Processed using Adobe Photoshop Image Processor, with default neural filter, selecting "None" as the profile. View the original black and white photograph at its own permanent page. | |||||
| Photographer | JA Mihalovic | |||||
| Source | ww2dbaseUnited States Navy | |||||
| More on... |
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| Photo Size | 1,871 x 1,493 pixels | |||||
| Photos on Same Day | 15 Jul 1942 | |||||
| Photos at Same Place | Pacific Ocean | |||||
| Added By | David Stubblebine | |||||
| Colorized Date | 24 Feb 2023 | |||||
| Licensing | Public Domain. According to the United States copyright law (United States Code, Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105), in part, "[c]opyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government". Please contact us regarding any inaccuracies with the above information. Thank you. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
2. 
David Stubblebine says:
21 Jul 2022 12:50:03 PM
Anonymous (above):
I have researched this more thoroughly and found out that you are not only completely correct, but that the aircraft was an F4F-4 with BuNo 5149 piloted by enlisted Aviation Pilot 1st-class H.M. O’Leary and that the cause of the crash was a failure in the propeller pitch mechanism. The Enterprise aircraft compliment at the time being 35 F4F-4s, 27 SBDs (including 9 SBD-3s), and 17 TBD-1s. This photo caption has been corrected and thank you for pointing this out.
David Stubblebine says:21 Jul 2022 12:50:03 PM
Anonymous (above):
I have researched this more thoroughly and found out that you are not only completely correct, but that the aircraft was an F4F-4 with BuNo 5149 piloted by enlisted Aviation Pilot 1st-class H.M. O’Leary and that the cause of the crash was a failure in the propeller pitch mechanism. The Enterprise aircraft compliment at the time being 35 F4F-4s, 27 SBDs (including 9 SBD-3s), and 17 TBD-1s. This photo caption has been corrected and thank you for pointing this out.
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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20 Jul 2022 11:15:18 PM
Gotta be a mistake. More then likely an F4F Wildcat Fighter. The F6F didn’t see service in the Pacific until 1943: