Picture of the day. (1 Viewer)

[Greg Boeser]

Hope the ball turret-gunner was seated next to the engineer!

Assembly ship, so war weary and disarmed. They were used to assist in formation assembly after take off. Once the unit was formed, the assembly ship would return to base.

 

[Frog]

Hope the ball turret-gunner was seated next to the engineer!

As a general rule, assembly ships had only a limited crew for flying and navigation, hence no gunner as the ship returned to base after formation completed..
However, as exception to the rule, according to Wiki, there were instances when Spotted Ass Ape flew to Germany with the 458th formation.

 

[MiTasol]

I take it those are lights or strobes or flare dischargers to assist other pilots in locating the aircraft in the middle of the I

 

[Airframes]

Yes.

 

[cammerjeff]

80 years ago 3-11-1945 the USS Randolph CV-15 under repair at Ulithi Atollwith the Vulcan class repair ship USS Jason (ARH-1) alongside. Damaged caused by a Yokosuka P1Y Ginga "Frances" kamikaze attack.
The ship was able to resume operations just 16 days later.
source kamikaze hole Randolph (CV-15) 13 March 1945 80-G-344531

 

[Gnomey]

Good shots!

 

[syscom3]

Curtiss A-12 Shrike

 

[syscom3]

"The skipper wants to talk to you".

An SB2C that nosed over while landing on USS Shangri-La (CV-38), 13 March 1945

 

[MiTasol]

Durn it - someone invented those curved blades way back then. I guess they worked as poorly as most of the more modern versions.

 

[Gnomey]

Nice shots!

 

[syscom3]

SNCAO CAO.600 French Navy carrier torpedo bomber, first flown 21 March 1940. Never entered service.

 

[syscom3]

The Curtiss Wright 21 Interceptor Fighter demonstrated in flight at St. Louis on March 21st 1940.

 

[syscom3]

A P-38G Lightning of the 55th Fighter Group, 338th Fighter Squadron based at RAF Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Jan-Apr 1944.

 

[syscom3]

SBD-4 & SBD-5 Dauntlesses join USAAF as A-24A Banshees at Douglas Aircraft Co's El Segundo Plant, Mar 16 1943. Note
two experimental XSB2D-1 torpedo bomber prototypes against the back fence 3 weeks before its maiden flight. In back
is the Chevron Refinery. Also note the possible blimp located at the center top.

 

[GTX]

USS Franklin (CV-13) heading to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, April 28, 1945 following the damage sustained on March 19, 1945. Note aircraft engine on deck.

 

[SaparotRob]

SBD-4 & SBD-5 Dauntlesses join USAAF as A-24A Banshees at Douglas Aircraft Co's El Segundo Plant, Mar 16 1943. Note
two experimental XSB2D-1 torpedo bomber prototypes against the back fence 3 weeks before its maiden flight. In back
is the Chevron Refinery. Also note the possible blimp located at the center top.

View attachment 822461

Took my ancient eyes a while to spot them. Nice catch.