A WW2-era aerial view looking north at NAS Squantum (National Archives photo).
Latest news:-
The seaplane basin in the eastern portion of the airfield property was converted into a marina,
surrounded by the high-priced "Marina Bay" luxury condos.
A large building (the former Jordan Marsh warehouse) has been built over the southern portion of the property.
The surviving runways served as a tractor/trailer school
until acquired by the MDC & Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in the 1980s.
They have now developed the site as the Squantum Point Park,
which includes an Aviation Walk commemorating the site's aviation history."

* (courtesy of Chris Kennedy)

Also in chapter 1, we see a photo of Plymouth MA.  A current picture of the site is:-



The squadron was equiped with Avenger aircraft. 

The Grumman Tarpon was an American developed monoplane carrier borne torpedo aircraft and light bomber, with cabins for a crew of three, pilot, observer and TAG. Originally the Fleet Air Arm named the aircraft the Grumman Tarpon, changing to Avenger in January 1944 to conform to US Navy nomenclature. Developed from the TBD-1 Devastator, the Avenger was Grumman's first torpedo aircraft, and its robust design had much in common with that of the Company's fighters. The design and engineering team under WT Schwendler developed the aircraft  - the order for two prototypes was placed on 8 April 1940 and the first Avengers went into service just over two years later.

The prototype flew on 1 August, 1941. The first production models, manufactured by Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corp. and designated TBF, were completed on 3 January, 1942. Grumman built a total of 2,293 TBF Avengers between 1942 and December 1943. Grumman production ceased at that time, and Eastern Aircraft, Division of General Motors, built 2,882 of this model, designated TBM, and over 4,600 of the TBM-3 which had a larger engine and strengthened wings to carry rocket projectiles.

The Avenger rapidly displaced the obsolete Devastator aboard US carriers,  and from the
Guadalcanal landings in August 1942 until the end of the Pacific War it remained the only shipboard torpedo aircraft of the US Navy. Whilst the Avenger largely replaced the Fairey Barracuda from 1944-1945 particularly in the Pacific Theatre.

The Avenger operated as a bomber, and as a search and anti-submarine aircraft, rather than as a torpedo-plane.  As a torpedo-plane it was initially hampered by the many serious defects in the American torpedoes.  Moreover the crushing losses inflicted on their torpedo squadrons at the Battle of Midway left the United States Navy with little confidence in aerial torpedo attack, confidence which was only regained with the success of the Avengers at the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Fleet Air Arm Avenger in 1944

 ( I note that the above picture is identical to the one in The Album.  See chapter 5)

The Royal Navy received 402 aircraft, designated TBF-1Bs under the Lend lease arrangement with the first squadron, 832 squadron (HMS Victorious) , being equipped in January till February 1943. These aircraft were sometimes modified to British specification by Blackburn Aircraft, including the installation British oxygen systems and gunsights. In addition 25 TBF-1 loans were made to 832 squadron from US Navy at Pearl Harbour on 5 March 1943 (aircraft kept their US BuAer numbers e.g. BuAer number 05996). Most of these aircraft though had been returned to the US Navy at San Diego by 3 June 1943. Although originally designated Tarpon MkI for British service, they were later redesigned Avenger MkI.

With the demand of Avengers exceeding the capacity of the Eastern Division of Grumman, General Motors was contracted as a second source of supply. Avengers with the designation TBM-1 and TBM-1C were built from September 1942 with a total of 7546 being delivered before the production lines were closed in June 1945. Of these early versions from General Motors, some 334 TBM-1s were supplied to the Royal Navy and designated Avenger MkII.

Delivery of the TBM-3 began in April 1944 with the Royal Navy receiving 222 aircraft which were subsequently designated Avenger MkIII. Wartime Avengers were used by the Royal Navy until June 1947.

In 1953, the Royal Navy began acquiring anti-submarine warfare versions of the Avenger under the Mutual Defence Assistance Program (MDAP). These aircraft were designated the Avenger AS Mk IV or AS Mk V, and were used in the ASW role until the introduction of the Fairey Gannet in 1955.

Avengers were also exported under MDAP to France, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands. In all, 48 Avengers were allocated to the RNZAF, but before the war ended over half of these were handed over to either the US Navy or the Royal Navy's Pacific Fleet, both of which were suffering from aircraft shortages.

The Avenger finally retired in 1962 from the Fleet Air Arm.  A total of 9,839 had been built.  In civilian life the Avenger found a useful role as a fire bomber and many are still in use in Canada.

Charger was built in USA at Chester Pennsylvania, and laid down as mercantile Rio de la Plata which was launched on 1 March 1941, after which she was converted to BAVG-4. She was transferred to the RN on completion but returned to the US Navy on 4 October 1941 as USS Charger AVG-30 (later CVE-30).

Charger was in the "Avenger" Class. These ships were basically similar to "Archer", but differed sufficiently to be regarded as a separate class. All were converted in the USA from mercantile hulls.

Following being commissioned as HMS Charger (BAVG-4), with Captain George Abel-Smith, RN, in command, she was subsequently transferred to the U.S. Navy on 4 October 1941, and later reclassified as AVG-30 on 24 January 1942 and commissioned into the USN on 3 March 1942, Captain T. L. Sprague in command.

After commissioning in 1942 she was reported to the Atlantic Fleet. Charger's area of operations throughout the war was Chesapeake Bay. Charger's role in the USN was the basic task of training pilots' and ships' crews in carrier operations. She was used for deck landing training of Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilots. Post-war she became liner Fairsea 1949 and scrapped 1968.