How about this great shot of two aircraft rarely seen operating side-by-side on a flattop, showing Navy and Marine F4U-4 Corsairs of VF-43 (F-3xx) and VMF-211 (AF-144) spinning up behind a big Douglas AD-4 Skyraider (SS-807) of composite squadron VC-33 aboard the supercarrier USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) circa 1952.
While both the Corsair and Skyraider used 18-cylinder radials, the Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W on the F4U “only” coughed up 2,380 hp while the Wright R-3350-26WA Duplex-Cyclone of the AD-4 went at least 2,700 hp.
Cora was on deployment to the Mediterranean Sea with Carrier Air Group Four (CVG-4) from 19 Apr 1952 to 12 Oct 1952. The mixed jet-prop group at the time included the “Gladiators” of VF-62 (F2H-2 Banshees), the Corsair-equipped “Hornets” of VF-44, “Wake Island Avengers” of VMF-211, and “Challengers” of VF-43; the Skyraider-flying “Blackbirds” of VF-45 and dets of AD-4W, AD-4N, F2H-2Ps, and HUP-1s.
While on service with the 6th Fleet, she visited Yugoslavia and carried Marshall Tito on a one-day cruise to observe carrier operations. On her next Med deployment, she would host Generalissimo Franco on a stop in Spain.
VMF-211 was redesignated VMA-211 during that cruise, while Cora herself morphed on paper from CVB-43 to CVA-43.