During WWII, this Hellcat was based at NAAS Santa Rosa, CA and assigned to VBF-11. Post war, it was used as a target drone but made a wheels up landing and was SOC during May 1956. Placed into storage upside down in a cradle at NAS China Lake. Over the following 17 years the wreck was stripped of almost all internal equipment and control surfaces. The hulk was transported aboard a Military Sea Transport to NEAM arriving in October 1973. Restoration was performed in Rhode Island over twelve years and completed in July 1992.