VF-53 undertook two F4U cruises during the war, seeing combat from the decks of Valley Forge in 1950 and Essex in 1951-52. On of the first US Navy F4U units thrown into action over North Korea, VF-53 used the letter 'S' as its tail code, with blue trim on the tail tip and propeller hub on both cruises. (NX62290) currently housed at the Palm Springs Air Museum. (2015)