The same year that the TF-1 joined the fleet, Grumman engineers again put their heads together and developed another mission for the Tracker airframe, modifying the design with a twin-tail to accommodate the rotating antenna of the AN/APS-82 search radar for airborne early warning. The result was the WF (later redesignated E-1 Tracer), known to a generation of aviators as the “Willy Fudd” or “Stoof With a Roof.” The first examples were delivered to the fleet in 1960, with the museum’s airplane (Bureau Number 148146) accepted by the Navy on December 30th of that year. It spent its service life rotating between Airborne Early Warning Squadrons (VAW) 11, 12, and 21, deploying on Atlantic and Pacific cruises in the carriers
Constellation (CVA 64),
Wasp (CVS 18),
Saratoga (CVA 60), and
Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA 42) before being retired to the museum in 1975.
Indeed, the inherent flexibility of the design that took shape on blueprints at Grumman translated into one of the most versatile airplanes of the Cold War era when its services were greatly needed. As the Soviet submarine force burgeoned in numbers and capability, it was the S2F/S-2 Tracker that was at the forefront of the U.S. Navy's defenses. As tacticians devised ways to defend carrier battle groups against Soviet air attack, the requirement for a capable airborne early warning platform to track inbound planes and direct interceptors to them was paramount. Into this role stepped the WF/E-1 Tracer. And in sustaining a carrier at sea by transporting supplies, personnel, and welcome mail to sailors, the TF/C-1 Trader more than fit the bill.
Collectively, the museum's examples of these venerable aircraft form an important chapter in naval aviation history, the trio serving a total of 47 years flying for the Navy at sea and ashore and earning their places on display for tens of thousands of people to appreciate.