Operated from 1938 by VMF-2 from NAS San Diego, in August 1940 this F3F crashed while on approach to USS Saratoga due to a faulty fuel valve, the pilot being successfully rescued. The aircraft was discovered by a Navy submersible at a depth of 1,800ft in 1988 and was recovered in 1990

Airworthy F3F-2 in the hangar at Fantasy of Flight museum. With an increased wingspan and longer length, USN's F3F single-seat fighter was successor to the F2F. It had Grumman's characteristic wheel wells in the forward fuselage. Delivery of the F3F-1 took place in 1936 to VF-5B and VF-6B. This was followed by the faster F3F-2 with a single-row 950 hp Wright R-1820-22 Cyclone engine, armed with one .30 cal and one .50 cal MG in the nose. The type was delivered to USN and Marine squadrons in 1937-38. This F3F wears the emblem of a blue wasp with boxing gloves of the first VF-7 squadron.

The Greatest Generation Naval Museum closed soon after and this aircraft is now exhibited at the National Museum of WWII Aviation at Colorado Springs, CO.

A very regimented line-up of VMF-1. An 18-aircraft squadron's first section's colour was red, the second section was white, the third blue, the fourth black, the fifth green and the sixth yellow. A section leader's aircraft had a fully coloured cowling and a fuselage band, while the first wingman had the upper half of the cowling coloured and the second wingman the lower half. This system was dropped in 1940. VMF-1 became VMF-111 on 1 July 1941. Photo by: Dmitri Kessel / Life

F3F-2 biplane fighter preserved wearing the colourful Pre-WW2 markings and codes of USMC Squadron VMF-2.

Aircraft is an accurate full-scale interactive replica of the F3F, built by museum volunteers working from blueprints.

Grumman F3F-2 built in 1936. Preserved airworthy by the Lone Star Museum wearing US Marine Corps markings.

I photographed this plane, BuNo 0972, here in 1938 at Oakland when it was still in service with the Navy, and again in 2012 at Schellville, CA. I think that is a record for the same photographer and same plane 74 years apart.

This has been over a year in the planning and it finally all came together on this day. I photographed this plane in 1938 at Oakland when it was still in service with the Navy, and again here in 2012. I think that is a record for the same photographer and same plane 74 years apart.
N20RW has been rebuilt by Christopher D. Prevost, owner of the Vintage Aircraft Company at Schellville, California. He purposely painted it in the markings of my 1938 photo and it is a very accurate job thanks to the input of Rich Dann and others. It first flew in September 2012 shortly before this photo was taken.