avenger

The inscription on this Avenger reads "In Memory of S.W. Quick - C.A.P." "S.W. Quick" was Torpedo Squadron 11 (VT-11) Naval Aviation Pilot (and veteran of the Battle of Coral Sea while assigned to Torpedo Squadron 5 [VT-5]) Sidney William Quick (USN), who perished along with 23 others when the Navy R4D-5 (DC-3/C-47) (BuNo 12406; c/n 9178) carrying them crashed shortly after take-off from Nouméa-La Tontouta on June 8, 1943. See: navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp?c... Quick, the crash, and the blow to VT-11 is also mentioned in an interview of famed Midway Torpedo 8 (VT-8) survivor George Gay. See: www.history.navy.mil/research/library/oral-histories/wwii... We had one thing that happened that was a distinct blow to the whole squadron. After having worked there for a period of about, well, it was nearly three months, they told us we could have a blow and go to Sidney, Australia. We were given four SCAT [Service Command Air Transportation] planes, one to leave each day with our pilots and our crews. One of those planes crashed in Tontouta, killing our then Air Group Commander, Lt. Commander Hamilton, and his crew. He was a TBF flier, of course, and also killed other pilots, Lieutenant Lindsey, and an NAP [Naval Aviation Pilot] by the name of Quick, Ensign Paul Bable, and Ensign Weise and Ensign Burke, and their ground crews and another very marvelous man, by the name of Mike Flynn, Lieutenant, A-V(S) [US Naval Reserve aviation officer qualified for specialist duties] officer. He was our Operations Officer and left a job that we later found out we couldn't get three men to fill. He really was a good man and he didn't know about the Navy when he got into it, and didn't know much about airplanes and flying them, but he really took over his job out there and really went to town. He did a beautiful job and I like Mike very much. He had a habit in his civilian life of being able to make money without any trouble and he was a good poker player, and he came out pretty well on his poker winnings, and he also had a lot of money. He bought a $100 bond for everybody in the squadron. He put it up in his will, and I'll probably see it some day. I never did think Mike would get it. He just made up his mind that he wanted to go with us when we went to Australia, and he got on this transport and got killed. I think that was about the second or third hop he'd taken since he'd been with the squadron. But to the enemy we didn't lose very many people. One radio man was killed in the plane with Ensign Weise on a daylight raid to Bougainville and, of course, the next day Weise was killed in this Tontouta crash in a DC-3 [twin-engine Douglas "Dakota" transport], but we lost on a night mine laying hop an Ensign who had joined the squadron in the Fiji Islands by the name of Sweitzer, and on a daylight raid we lost an Ensign by the name of Snell. Of course, we lose their crews with each of the pilots. Unfortunately, I don't get to know the crews very well. On this publicity business, it's unfortunate to me that I can't tell their story and give them the credit that they deserve. They never get the credit that they really have coming to them. That's another story. That's all we had lost to the Japs. See also: www.baaa-acro.com/1943/archives/crash-of-a-douglas-r4d-5-... www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=44806418

The June 8, 1943 Tontouta crash and loss of VT-11 personnel is briefly discussed (at approximately the 29min 30sec mark) in the fantastic documentary about Carrier Air Group 11 (CAG 11) during World War II, "Eleven" (2014), by George Retelas. See here: YouTube - George Retelas: "Eleven" See also: www.eleventhemovie.com/

Here's a quote regarding the Indefatigable you might find interesting (the pilot in question was a New Zealander, my G-father): Thank you for the reference. As you know, my father was a FAA pilot on Indefatigable but he never mentioned its visit to NZ (by that stage he had left the boat for home leave) I got some info from Ross Higgins ( of the Wakefield Steam Museum) about Roy Archer, (whom my father never mentioned) that said that Indefatigable had visited him in the Sounds (Pelorus Sound to SW of Maud Island) where Roys friend the Admiral of the Fleet then visited him at Tuna Bay. The picture of the carrier in Queen Charlotte Sound may in fact be Pelorus Sound.

Thanks so much Ice Nine (and lovely to hear of your family connection to the image). I'll pass the info about the possibility that this may be Pelorus Sound on to our curators. -- Courtney

Hi, I'm an admin for a group called Nautical pictures of interest., and we'd love to have this added to the group! Lovely shot.

George Gay, Torpedo 8's (VT-8) sole surviving Douglas TBD Devastator pilot from the Battle of Midway. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._Gay,_Jr.