|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Captain Robert M Elder USN Signed Naval Art
Captain Robert M Elder USN
Robert M. Elder was born in Saskatchewan, Canada on December 5, 1918. He attended the University of Washington in Seattle as a Naval ROTC student, where he majored in Aero Engineering. Elder commenced his flight training at Pensacola, and was commissioned as an Ensign in the USNR in May of 1941. In June, Elder was assigned to Bombing Squadron 3, the Black Panthers, who were at that time were equipped with Douglas Dauntless S1313-3 bombers, and were assigned to the USS Saratoga (CV-3) based in San Diego. With the attack on Pearl Harbor, Elder and his squadron mates from V13-3 would be soon be involved in the heat of battle in the Pacific. Elder flew numerous bombing missions during the Battle of the Coral Sea. During the Battle of Midway, V13-3 flying off the USS Yorktown, along with bombers from the USS Enterprise, sunk three Japanese aircraft carriers in a matter of minutes. This would prove to be the turning point in the War in the Pacific. Elder would later fly in both the Guadacanal and Easter Solomons campaigns. He was awarded two Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and received two Presidential Unit Citations. Following the War, Elder remained in the Navy. He was one of the first graduates from the Navy's test pilot training school in 1950. He was also one of the first Naval aviators to fly jet aircraft, and he participated in developmental flights on both the F8F Bearcat and the F7F Tigercat. On the former Elder carrier qualified the aircraft. In 1953 Elder returned to combat duty with VF-191 flying off the USS Orinskany. Subsequently he commanded Carrier Air Group 12, the USS Waccamaw, and the USS Coral Sea. Following the Korean War, Elder continued to fly. In 1957 Bob was assigned as Director of the Flight Test Division at the Navy's Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland. Here Bob personally conducted initial test flights on many of the Navy's new supersonic fighter aircraft including the F3 Demon, F-1 1 Tiger, the F-4 Phantom 11, the A-5 Vigilante, and the F8U-3 Crusader 11. Elder retired from the Navy in 1963. He then worked for the Northrop Corporation for 23 years, holding the positions of Chief Test Pilot, Director of Flight Operations, and Head of Flight Test and Evaluation. He was one of the driving forces behind the programs which evolved into the F/A- 18 Hornet. Bob also was founder of the Tailhook Association, and received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1964. During his amazing flying career, Bob Elder has flown more than 8,000 flight hours in 142 different types of aircraft. He has become carrier qualified in 35 different aircraft, and has made almost 1,000 carrier landings. Bob s also served as President of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He died 12th September 2008.
| Captain Robert M Elder USN - Signed Naval Art Naval Crew Signatures |
|
|
|
|
| Text for the above items : |
Fast Cats by Stan Stokes. The F8F Bearcat and the F7F Tigercat were the final family members in Grummans fabulous series of prop driven USN fighter aircraft. The F7F Tigercat evolved from the work of a three-man design team at Grumman, which included Bob Hall, Dick Hutton, and Gordon Israel. The Navy gave an OK to the development of a prototype in mid-1941, however it would not be until April 1944 that the first production Tigercat was delivered. The Navy planned to use the first two hundred F7Fs as night fighters, but due to unsatisfactory carrier suitability trials; the decision was made to scale back the order and equip only shore-based Marine squadrons with this aircraft. Performance tests of the first production F7Fs were impressive. The F7F was almost 80-MPH faster than an F4U Corsair in level flight at sea level. As WW II wound down, the USN changed its plans for the F7F. Newer variants were developed with the most common being the F7F-3N. The 3N was the first F7F to pass carrier qualification on the USS Shangri La in February of 1946. The final variant was the F7F-4N that included a taller rudder, a stronger wing and fuselage, and improved landing gear and tailhook. During the Korean War these aircraft were utilized in the night fighter role. The F8F was the successor to the successful F6F Hellcat fighter which was the US Navys primary fighter during most of WW II. Grummans test pilot, Bob Hall recommended to Grummans President that the successor to the F6F be small and lightweight and faster than anything flying at that time. In competition with both Curtis and Boeing, the Grumman design utilized a 2,100-HP Pratt and Whitney radial engine driving an enormous propeller more than twelve feet in diameter. The prop was so large that the Bearcat needed very tall landing gear. During its early testing the Bearcat was capable of speeds in excess of 440-MPH. The F8F was ordered into production in mid-1944, and the Navy wanted all the Bearcats it could get before November of 1945, which was the presumed date for an invasion of Japan. One interesting design feature of the initial production Bearcats was a break-away section at each wing tip, which was designed to break-off if overstressed, in order to prevent a catastrophic failure of the complete wing. Also unique was the utilization of a bubble canopy, the first on a Navy aircraft. On February 17, 1945 LCDR Robert Elder flew the F8F in its first carrier suitability trials on the USS Charger. Despite terrible weather conditions, Elder made fifteen successful arrested landings. The F8F passed these trials with flying colors. Too late to see action in WW II, the F8F would also see service in Korea, in both the reconnaissance and night fighting roles. In Stan Stokes painting an F8F accompanies an F7F-4N during the carrier qualification of the F7F-4N on the USS Franklin Roosevelt (CV-42) in 1946. |
Midway: The Turning Point by Stan Stokes. The Battle of Midway in June of 1942 marked the turning point in the War in the Pacific, and the Douglas SBD Dauntless was the aircraft which provided the punch in this decisive victory for America. The SBD, which earned the nickname Slow, But Deadly, entered service with the USN and USMC in 1940. Powered by a 1,000 HP, 9-cylinder, Cyclone radial engine the SBD was capable of a maximum speed of 250 MPH. The Dauntless could stay airborne for a long time with its 1,300 mile range and slow cruising speed, and it was capable of delivering a 1,200 pound bomb load. Because of its slow speed the SBD needed armament to discourage attack by enemy fighters. Two forward firing machine guns and either one or two rear firing guns mounted in the gunners cockpit behind the pilot, gave the SBD enough firepower to make it a challenging target for enemy fighters. The Japanese plan for invading Midway, a strategically-located small island about 1,100 miles northwest of Hawaii, involved the use of a decoy fleet which would feign an invasion of the Aleutians, while the main fleet consisting of approximately 100 ships and four aircraft carriers would carryout the invasion. Based on intelligence reports the US Navy was ready for Adm. Yamamoto this time. The American force totaled 25 ships including the carriers Hornet, Enterprise, and Yorktown. Air power was about even, because the U.S. could count on nearly 100 land-based aircraft on Midway itself. About 1/3rd of the U.S. air power was represented by SBDs. During the first exchanges, American attacks on the Japanese invasion fleet with both land-based and carrier-based aircraft were repulsed with substantial losses. These low-level torpedo attacks focused the attention of both Japanese fighter pilots and AA gunners on the horizon. Lacking effective radar, the Japanese fleet would prove to be unprepared for a high altitude attack by swarms of SBDs on June 4, 1942. The timing proved perfect as the Japanese carriers were laden with fully fueled and armed aircraft being readied for a second wave. As depicted in Stan Stokes dramatic painting the 1,000 pounder of Paul Lefty Holmbergs SBD penetrates the carrier deck of the Soryu while Holmberg pulls out of his dive. Right behind Holmberg is another SBD of VB-3 from the USS Yorktown. SBDs from the Yorktown and its sister ship the Enterprise destroyed three Japanese carriers in a matter of minutes during this battle. While the Yorktown was later lost in the Battle, all four Japanese carriers were eventually destroyed including many of Japans most experienced naval aviators. The rugged and effective Dauntless, the only USN aircraft to remain in service through the entire war, was responsible for destroying more enemy shipping than any other aircraft during WW II. |
Battle of the Coral Sea by Robert Taylor. Commemorating the Battle of the Coral Sea, Robert Taylor has chosen to portray the sinking of the Shoho in this dramatic painting. When Commander Weldon Hamilton, leading one of the Lexington's Dauntless squadrons, spotted the Shoho at 1040 on the morning of May 4th 1942, the Japanese carrier's fate was sealed. Within minutes she was hit by the full force of the Lexington's dive bombers and torpedo aircraft, aided by the Yorktown's attack group. Smothered by a dozen bomb and seven torpedo hits, she was sunk within thirty minutes of the first sighting. |
Midway - Strike Against the Akagi by Robert Taylor. A SDB Dauntless from the USS Enterprise attacks the Japanese carrier Akagi during the Battle of Midway. |
|
Contact Details |
|
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
|
 |
