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Voices echoed through the old warehouse, bouncing off old, dusty
military vehicles and aircraft in various states of restoration.
Tucked away to the side of the warehouse rests a partially restored
Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless dive bomber, thought to be the last
surviving aircraft of its kind.
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April 21, 2017 - The World War II Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless
dive-bomber aircraft was highlighted today after Restoration
Director, Robert P. Cramsie was presented with the 2016 Excellence
of Volunteerism award at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar in
San Diego, Calif. The U.S. Marines Aviation Museum is home to the
Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation developed by the museum
staff and volunteers located at MCAS. (U.S. Navy photo by, Mass
Communication Specialist 1st Class Kleynia R. McKnight)
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Robert Cramsie, a restoration volunteer with the Flying
Leatherneck Aviation Museum and a board member of the Flying
Leatherneck Historical Foundation, dedicated more than 2,500
hours since December 2012 to restoring the Dauntless, using
only blueprints, salvaged parts and even fabricating parts
by hand when needed. Cramsie is a former aircraft mechanic,
who currently works at Northrop Grumman in San Diego as a
production environmental test technician.
“When you start with a portion of the aircraft that is trashed
and slowly build it piece by piece, seeing where you started versus
where it is when you finish is the most rewarding part of this
project for me,” said Cramsie.
Because of his outstanding
volunteerism, Cramsie received the Northrop Grumman Excellence in
Volunteerism Award from representatives of Northrop Grumman, Mission
Systems, San Diego, during a ceremony at the Flying Leatherneck
Museum Restoration Facility at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar,
California, April 21. Cramsie received one of 11 awards given
worldwide by Northrop Grumman in 2017 for the hours spent restoring
the Dauntless.
“Restoration projects like the Dauntless give
members of the community the ability to come and experience a piece
of history,” said Col. Jason Woodworth, commanding officer of MCAS
Miramar. “People who come and volunteer here whether they have
affiliation with the military or not, should be encouraged to
continue their service because they allow everyone to get close to
and touch pieces of our history.”
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April 21, 2017 - Robert Cramsie, left, a restoration volunteer
with the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum and a board member of
the Flying Leatherneck Historical Foundation, displays his award
while shaking hands with Col. Jason Woodworth, commanding officer of
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., at the Flying Leatherneck
Aviation Museum Restoration Facility at MCAS Miramar, Calif. Cramsie received the Northrop Grumman Excellence in Volunteerism
Award for volunteering more than 2,500 hours to restore a
last-of-its-kind Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless dive bomber, reconstructed
using blueprints, salvaged and self-fabricated parts. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Liah Kitchen)
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The Dauntless was recovered from Lake Michigan in 1995,
where it crashed during a training flight in November 1942.
The plane, which suffered extensive physical damage and
corrosion was shipped around the country before finally
finding a home at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at
MCAS Miramar to be restored.
“The aircraft was in
sad shape,” explained Cramsie. “The wings were removed and
set aside with the right wing slightly crushed and the left
wing severely damaged, the vertical stabilizer was missing,
the left leading edge of the inboard wing was crushed, the
belly has holes punctured in it and the doors were missing.”
According to Cramsie, he plans to fully restore the
Dauntless to a condition similar to when it came out of the
factory in 1940, a process which may take many more years of
work.
“Seeing the pieces come together is really what
keeps me going,” said Cramsie. “The work that I’m doing, at
the end of the day, is about giving a piece of history back
to the museum and to the Marine Corps.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Liah Kitchen
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
The U.S. Marines
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