(JDupre5762) wrote:

I have a photograph of three Grumman F3F biplane fighters in formation. Thier
side numbers all begin with 2-MF and then different numbers in the third and
last position. I believe 2 stands for the Carrier Lexington CV 2. What does
MF stand for? Marine Fighter? Did Marine fighter squadrons deploy on carriers
in the 1930s? Were Marine squadrons given numbers based on carriers they might
be assigned to?

Then, and today, when a Marine squadron deployed aboard a carrier, it
adopted the carrier's, or more properly the CAG/CVW's, numbering
scheme. Which in the '30s, was 2-F-xx where 2 was the carrier's
designation, F was fighter, and the xx was the CAG numbering. Today,
the carrier's name is on the aircraft's fuselage, and the side numbers
are coded by squadron within the CVW, 1xx, 1st squadron, 2xx, 2nd
squadron, 3xx, 3rd squadron, etc.

OJ III