17274 
R4D-6L  
 
Douglas C/N 25777
Ordered by USAAF as C-47B-1-DK
USAAF S/N 43-48516
Delivered to USN as R4D-6 at NAS San Diego CA in Sept 1944
Assigned to Headquarters Squadron Fleet Air Wing One (HDN FAW-1) in Sept 1944
Assigned to VH-4 in Sept 1944
Assigned to FAW-14 in Nov 1944
Assigned toVE-1 in March 1945
Assigned to VR-3 in April 1945
Stored at NAFC Litchfield Park, AZ in January 1948
Converted to R4D-6L
Assigned to VX-6 in December 1955
To Antarctica on 17 October 1956.
Used as a “taxi” with outer wings removed date unknown
 
Disposition:  left on an iceflow in the Ross Sea in 1962 for disposal
 
 
charlene.jpg (131266 bytes)
 
jimr4taxiing1.jpg (40669 bytes)
photo by Jim Waldron
 
charlenetaxie.gif (79748 bytes)
From Dave Rileys web page
 
Puckered Pete's Antarctic Newseum webpage on Charlene