1949 - 1952: The Korean War
Dad was in Korea and his family was home in Coronado, California.
For a history of the Korean War, visit
http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/koreanwar/
See Family at home for Coronado at this time.

Click on a thumbnail to navigate the slide show below. Arrows and and a "Play" button will appear when you mouse over the large photo, which can also be used.
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​Captions on the bottom of the photos.

Lt. Cmdr Robert Lee Donley was Executive Officer of VP 42 from February 1950 until March 1951
​when as a Commander he became Commanding Officer of VP 46.
The histories that follow are from the Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Vol. 2
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1. The war through 1951

VP42
VP 42 left San Diego for Iwakuni, Japan, then transferred to NAF Yokosuka where it conducted 24-hour anti-submarine patrols in shipping lanes between Japan and Korea in the Tsushima Straits at the end of August 1950.  The squadron returned to NAF Iwakuni where it remained for the rest of deployment.  From Iwakuni squadron aircraft patrolled the Korean coastline and conducted searches for mines.  The squadron returned to NAS San Diego in April 1951.

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1. Map of the war through 1951.  
​The Yalu River is the border between China and North Korea.  Kunsan  is on the  West coast of  South Korea.
The Tsushima Strait is between Japan and Tsushima Island.
2. Chinhae is on the East coast
of South Korea, near Pusan.
3. Iwakuni is on Honshu Island,
​north of Shikoku Island.

2. Chinhae

 VP 46
26 Sept. 1951.  The squadron departed for WestPac on board Floyds Bay (AVP40) and Gardiners Bay (AVP39).  VP 46 operated from Iwakuni, Japan under FAW 6 as part of the search and patrol groups of TG96.2, conducting ASW, over-water search and reconnaissance and rescue missions.  During this period VP 46 operated a detachment from an advanced base in Chinhae, Korea, tended by Suisan (AVP53).

"I Almost Bought the Farm!"

RLD's story of crash-landing BD6 and limping to Kunsan, as told to daughter Pat.

"I was asking Dad about Douglas MacArthur, and he launched into a heated speech on what a worthless war Korea was, how MacAurthur wanted to invade China, and how he almost bought the farm flying old, poorly-designed aircraft."

According to this story, he was piloting BD6 when it lost one engine and he had to crash land on a island which, fortunately, was on "the South Korea side."  Probably meaning the South Korea side of the border near the Han River separating North and South Korea (though Marjorie's caption says the Yalu, which separates North Korea from China).  Then he had to fly on one engine to Kunsan for repairs.  According to one photo caption, that took five days.

The Martin PBM eventually fell out of favor with the Navy due to multiple problems, especially engine failure, and was mothballed.
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3. South Korea and Honshu Island