Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat 'Minsi II', Commander David McCampbell’s second 'Minsi', finished as flying from USS Essex in 1944.
The Hellcat made its combat debut August 1943 and in two years carrier based F6Fs are credited with downing 4,947 aircraft. If land based and Marine Hellcat kills are added it brings the total to 5,156, an incredible figure. This total represents 80% of all kills giving a kill–to-loss ratio of 19 to 1, another outstanding achievement.