Picture of the day. (8 Viewers)

[Gnomey]

Nice shots!

 

[syscom3]

Torpedo damage can be nasty. Especially the IJN ones.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Nice!

 

[Wurger]

The embarked Spitfires at the Malta harbour.

 

[Capt. Vick]

They're putting the Spitfire ON the carrier? Was this towards the end of the war you think?

 

[syscom3]

VMF-222 at Vella Lavella. Note the Wildcat at the end of the row.

 

[Wurger]

They're putting the Spitfire ON the carrier? Was this towards the end of the war you think?

The closest one is wearing the serial NF539. It seems to be the K code letter and a trace of W on the fuselage The serial of the Spitfire behind her is NN339. Both serials indicate the Seafire Mk.III. According to the info I found via the net the Seafire III NF539 belonged to the 899th Squadron FAA. Judging by this all these Spits in the image are Seafires.

NF539 Seafire III West M55 RNDA 10-3-44 Tested Yeovilton store 2-6-44 899S Long Kesh ('KW') 7-44 Port spar caught on wire 2-10-44 Missed wires 8-2-45 (both Lt HH Salisbury) 805S 7-45

NN339 Seafire III COA M55 RNDA 22-2-44 Tested Yeovilton store 2-6-44 899S HMS Khedive 7-44 to 9-44 794S Eglinton 3-46 to 4-46


And I have just found the same picture with a caption on the site ... ROYAL NAVY DURING SECOND WORLD WAR (A 25400)

"THE SEAFIRE III AT MALTA. JULY AND AUGUST 1944, GRAND HARBOUR, MALTA, ON BOARD AN ESCORT CARRIER."
"Under the bombed bastions of the entrance to Grand Harbour, Valletta, Malta, an escort carrier arrives with the deck loaded with Supermarine Seafire IIIs."

HMS Khedive ...

Also I found the picture as the colour one. The source : https://www.pinterest.com/pin/291115563387727050/

Unsinkable Malta. Rare colour photo from 1944... Supermarine Seafire L.IIIs of RNAS 808 Squadron on the deck of the escort aircraft carrier HMS Khedive (02), entering the Grand Harbour of Valletta in Malta. July 1944. (© Imperial War Museum A 25400)

 

[Capt. Vick]

Wow. That's some hard core info my friend. Like the lift spoilers on the wings. Where they integral with the wing or part of the ground equipment?

 

[GrauGeist]

VMF-222 at Vella Lavella. Note the Wildcat at the end of the row.

View attachment 277590

Wonder if that Wildcat was the "hack"...

Also next to the Wildcat can be seen a Corsair that looks rather new, compared to the rest.

 

[Wurger]

Wow. That's some hard core info my friend. Like the lift spoilers on the wings. Where they integral with the wing or part of the ground equipment?

THX.


Actually the lift spoilers on the wings are the telescopic jury struts . I'm sure you know the wing folding system for Seafire III was a manual one. Crews used the struts for securing of both folded and unfolded wings while transporting. For getting ready to take off these struts were dismounted. I haven't seen them in pictures with Seafire IIIs ready to fly. So these can be belonged to the ground equipment category.

 

[Aaron Brooks Wolters]

Excellent finds folks! Keep'em coming!

 

[Capt. Vick]

As always thank you brother!

 

[Wurger]

My pleasure.

 

[GrauGeist]

Westland Whirlwind Mk. I, taken about 1941

 

[Wurger]

This is the same kite methinks....

 

[fubar57]

I've always thought the Whirlwind was a beautiful aircraft.

Geo

 

[GrauGeist]

This is the same kite methinks....

View attachment 277722

It is and if you look at the cloud cover, was taken during the same flight

 

[Wurger]

Yep. You are right.

 

[Capt. Vick]

Wish it had a longer service life...and that there was one in a museum somewhere...or my backyard.

 

[Airframes]

Those have got to be Charles E Brown photos - his timing and use of cloud and lighting is classic photography at its best.