R4D-4s were used to transport two sections of VMB-613’s air echelon from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina to Naval Air Station (NAS) Fort Lauderdale, and then to NAS Boca Chica.  This workhorse was the naval equivalent of the famed Douglas DC-3.  With a range of  1,975 miles it could cruise at a leisurely speed of 117 knots (135 miles/hour). 

Photograph:  U.S. Navy Historical Archives