Hobby Master 1/48 FG-1D Corsair Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve Pilot Lt. Robert Hampton Gray 1841 Sqn Royal Navy HA8204
Hobby Master HA8204 FG-1D Corsair Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve pilot Lt. Robert Hampton Gray, 1841 Sqn., Royal Navy, 9th August 1945
Robert Hampton “Hammy” Gray was a Canadian Naval Officer with the British Fleet Air Arm in 1941 and joined the 1841 Squadron on HMS Formidable in 1944. The ship was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet in 1945. On August 9, 1945 while leading an attack at Onagawa Bay Japan Lieutenant Gray’s Corsair was hit and burst into flames. Lt. Gray continued his attack and scored a direct hit sinking a destroyer just before he crashed. He was later awarded the Victoria Cross.
Robert Hampton “Hammy” Gray was a Canadian Naval Officer with the British Fleet Air Arm in 1941 and joined the 1841 Squadron on HMS Formidable in 1944. The ship was transferred to the British Pacific Fleet in 1945. On August 9, 1945 while leading an attack at Onagawa Bay Japan Lieutenant Gray’s Corsair was hit and burst into flames. Lt. Gray continued his attack and scored a direct hit sinking a destroyer just before he crashed. He was later awarded the Victoria Cross.
The Vought F4U Corsair was literally built around the Pratt & Whitney 2,000 HP radial engine. The engine was so massive and produced so much energy that a Hamilton Standard 13 feet 4 inch propeller, the largest of WWII, was required. The F4U was the first American fighter aircraft to exceed 400 MPH. The Corsair was referred to by the Japanese as “Whispering Death” and became a legend in its own time. This aircraft was one of the most distinctive designs with it bent wings making it an icon.