The OA-12 Duck is the U.S. Air Force version of the Navy J2F-6 amphibian. Derived from the XJF-1 that first flew in 1933, the J2F series aircraft were used primarily by the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, before and during World War II.
One famous Duck served with the U.S. Army Air Forces during the war. In early 1942 members of the 20th Pursuit Squadron in the Philippines salvaged a damaged Navy J2F, which had been abandoned. Flying this Duck across enemy lines to obtain critical supplies for the defenders of Bataan and Corregidor, the pilots also brought a little candy for the nurses, which earned the aircraft the nickname The Candy Clipper.
After the war, the U.S. Air Forces' Air Rescue Service needed special aircraft for overwater missions, and in 1948 the USAF acquired eight surplus Navy J2F-6s. Designated the OA-12, five of these aircraft went to Alaska for duty with the 10th Air Rescue Squadron, and the other three apparently went to an allied country under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program.
The Columbia Aircraft Corp. of Valley Stream, N.Y., built the Grumman-designed J2F-6 Duck on display. Delivered to the U.S. Coast Guard on June 9, 1945, it became surplus in 1946. Afterward it had a series of civilian owners and "starred" in several films, including "Murphy's War" of the early 1970s. This aircraft is painted to represent one of the rescue OA-12s the USAF acquired in 1948.
TECHNICAL NOTES:
Armament: None (provisions for underwing racks for bombs or depth charges)
Engine: Wright R-1820-54 of 1,050 hp
Crew: Two
Maximum speed: 188 mph
Range: 780 miles
Span: 39 ft.
Length: 34 ft.
Height: 14 ft.
Weight: 7,200 lbs.
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