Hand SIGNED and initialed by Hellcat US Navy VF-27 “Cat's Mouth” USS Princeton pilots Robert Burnell, Richard Stambrook and Paul Drury.

"White 2”, VF 27, USS Princeton, October 1944.  All 24 of VF 27’s Hellcats were painted with the “Cat’s Mouth” when the squadron embarked aboard the light carrier USS Princeton on May 29, 1944.  

Pilots Carl Brown, Richard Stambrook, and Robert Burnell, designed the cat’s mouth markings during VF-27's training at Kahului Naval Air Station, Maui, Hawaii, in March and April 1944. Each of the squadrons pilots helped with the painting, but Burnell, the artist of the squadron, did most of the work. Burnell stated, “We had hoped that if we were unable to shoot down a Jap plane maybe we could scare him to death.” 

On October 24, 1944 nine of the Hellcats over the Leyte Gulf, Near Pollilo Island were returning from a successful mission to find the Princeton ablaze from a bomb hit. The nine were forced to land on several nearby carriers. The commanders of those carriers ordered the non-regulation “Cat’s Mouth” paint jobs to be removed immediately.

Model was out of box for signing and display only.