Eugene P. Rankin was born in 1916. He graduated from the Naval Academy at Pensacola, Florida, in 1941. In 1943, he served in World War 2 in the Pacific Theater. There he was the commanding officer in a “Black Cat Squadron”, conducting nighttime attack missions consolidated PBY Catalina patrol bombers. Afterwards, Rankin became a Captain of the USS Kearsarge (CV-33). The Kearsarge was tasked with assisting Project Mercury, in that it would have to recover astronauts who splashed down in the ocean after orbiting the Earth.

Eugene P. Rankin was born in 1916. He graduated from the Naval Academy at Pensacola, Florida, in 1941. In 1943, he served in World War 2 in the Pacific Theater. There he was the commanding officer in a “Black Cat Squadron”, conducting nighttime attack missions consolidated PBY Catalina patrol bombers. After the war he was one of the crew members of the “Truculent Turtle”, a Lockheed P2V-1 Neptune. This was the first plane to fly across the Pacific Ocean without refueling. It was the longest un-refueled flight made to that point – 4000 miles (6,400 km) and the “Turtle” held this world record for 16 years.

0.36 Cubic Feet Three (3) boxes, 12”x5”x10.5”

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