great question posed by hoodoo, and real interesting history stuff.

all the responses went off on tangents and never really addresed the
original question.

I noticed that yours didn't either. Ok, I'll try to address it - in going
through approximately forty cartons of personal copies of all the company
papers of a vice president of Chance Vought through the war years, I did not
find any mention of an unpainted machine being sent to a field unit. Further,
stripping the paint off a bird in the salty, dusty or muddy conditions of the
Solomons would not make much sense. Proving something like this didn't happen
is difficult, but nothing in all those files about Corsair production mentioned
an all-metal ship going out to a wartime unit. That narrows it down to a
"squadron job", but I haven't heard any "Black Sheep" veteran bring up at a
reunion or museum symposium. Anythings possible, but without a photo its just
a guess.

If you find out anything about the aircraft in question, either a date, Buno.,
or other details, there are people on this newsgroup that would know amplifying
info. I'd love to see it.

v/r
Gordon
====(A+C====
USN SAR

Its always better to lose AN engine, than THE engine.