Coast Guard Humvee ‘Eleanor II’ to Arrive at Aviation Museum

CAPE MAY – A very unique piece of Coast Guard history is set to arrive in Cape May County this Wednesday. Naval Air Station Wildwood (NASW) Aviation Museum Curator Nina Ranalli confirmed plans for the museum to accept a Coast Guard Humvee vehicle. Ranalli stated that “although NASW is an aviation museum, in recent years we have added collections and exhibits to help celebrate the hard work and dedication of the United States Coast Guard. With the Coast Guard Training Center only a few miles away in Cape May, and the recent designation of the county as a Coast Guard Community, the vehicle will be an excellent addition to the museum and the community.”
The vehicle, named Eleanor II, will be traveling by flatbed truck from Coast Guard Base Portsmouth, Virginia. The Humvee was used by Coast Guard personnel during their deployments to Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. It was named after the World War II half-track “Eleanor,” which participated in the liberation of Bastogne. The Eleanor II will be on display at NASW Aviation Museum this season. A short video about the museum’s newest acquisition can be found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byVV5Q8exSI
Naval Air Station Wildwood Aviation Museum is located inside Historic Hangar #1 at the Cape May Airport, New Jersey. The site was formerly Naval Air Station Wildwood, which served as a World War II dive-bomber training center. The museum is dedicated to the 42 airmen who perished while training at Naval Air Station Wildwood between 1943 and 1945.