Friday 8 February 2019

"Toraware no Nihonki" #6

The other aircraft carrier that ferried Japanese aircraft back to the States for evaluation was the USS Bogue (CVE-9). There are very few photos of the aircraft on the deck of the carrier and no inventory list to tell us what types exactly she carried. The photos below, as Harold pointed out, are from THIS site.
photo #29
photo #30
photo #31
But from the photos above it seems that not many aircraft were on her deck, mainly four "big" ones. From the stern to the bow I can identify (ignoring the US types) a Nakajima G8N1 "Renzan" (Rita), a Tachikawa Ki-74 "Patsy", probably one more Tachikawa Ki-74 and a Tachikawa Ki-77.
"Broken Wings" has more photos of the Ki-74 and the Ki-77. On p. 109 is a photo of the Ki-77 at Oppama Base and on p. 130 there are two more photo of the Ki-74 being unloaded at Newark and delivered at the base.
There are more photos of the "Rita" in the San Diego Air & Space Museum Archives, showing the aircraft getting ready for shipment and after her arrival in the US.
photo #32
another version of the photo above with the noise removed
photo #33
photo #34
photo #35
photo #36
photo #37
photo #38
photo #39
Photos #38 & #39 were taken at Wright-Patterson AFB where the aircraft arrived for evaluation. After being tested it sat there for two years before it was scrapped.

1 comment:

Harold K said...

"After being tested it sat there for two years before it was scrapped."
What a shame. Too bad it did not survive long enough to be returned to Japan with the H8K that sat in Norfolk VA for many years.