Aircraft Operations
The TBM Avenger was a WWII era single engine bomber. It was designed to drop torpedoes and depth charges (TBMs at the Battle of Midway http://www.rockymountainwingcaf.org/tbm_midway.asp?menuID=16~16~17~17~19~19). In Korea they were modified with radar and also could shoot missiles off of the wing stations. The model shown here has the radar pod and the search light on the left wing. It was practice to locate a target via radar then come onto a dive on it and then illuminate the target (at night) with the search light. Imagine that at night on a dark sea with no horizon!
ASW Hunter killers coming back to the ship.
A wave off. Note the tail hook still down. The white pod is the radar.
In the "groove." DD 545 USS Bradford rescued my father after ditching
his TBM 3E after engine failure. Read about it in the stories page.
AD Skyraiders
Joe Storey said this is an awesome photo. I agree!
J.A. Meinhard at NAS Pensacola, 1949.
"Made it!"
NAF Atsugi, Japan 1951
One of these plucked my father out of the Pacific Ocean after he ditched.