grummantbfavenger

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.

This aircraft, N6583D (ex- BuNo 53503), after a long and varied career, (it even appears as one of the "Lost Squadron" Avengers in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind") is still flying with the Commemorative Air Force (former "Confederate Air Force") as N53503. See: rockymountainwingcaf.org/tbm_ours.asp

Looks like it has been fitted with an under-wing ASW spotlight for catching subs on the surface, at night. There is another pod under the starboard wing. Maybe radar ?

May be the same pods seen in PictionID:43100093 -- perhaps standard on the -3E version? www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchives/19785248339/in/photos...