USS Enterprise CV-6 March 1941

Squadron of American Douglas TBD torpedo bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise CV-6 in flight near Diamond Head prior to WWII HI, US March 1941 Carl Mydans

Douglas TBD torpedo bomber taxing to parking area aboard the aircraft carrier USS Entrprise (CV-6) 1941 Carl Mydans

Scout plane preparing for carrier launch during US Navy manuevers off the Hawaiian Islands.1941 Carl Mydans

Douglas TBD torpedo bomber w. folded wings aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6).1941 Carl Mydans

[51fixer]

Might have been part of a training mission.
One appears to be trailing a line, possibly from a target.
All appear to have a gun camera mounted in a housing attached externally. Most on R/H side of windshield. The scout has it on top of the top wing.
Rich

[Holedigger]

Very cool pics, thanks for posting. Those brave pilots who didn't have much of a chance at all. Was it the AC were so outdated,or the tactics that cost them so dearly? The learning curve in the first few months of the war was very steep and rather bloody.

[Neal Nurmi]

As an off topic note from a photographer, the quality of ths stuff is really quite remarkable. Mydans was one of Life Magazine's stars during this period and later. This is quite early in the history of color photography -- I would guess almost certainly shot with 4x5 inch Kodachrome sheet film with a Speed Graphic or something similar. ASA (film speed) likely 10! I cannot imagine working with a big box, with cloth bellows flapping, and trying to change sheet film holders -- one shot at a time -- in the windy back seat of something like a TBD.

As has been pointed out here before -- these guys were good!

And now, back to your regular programming....

[Second Air Force]

I built a model of 6-T-16 from the Airfix kit in the early seventies--those pictures certainly bring back fond memories. I may have to build some more prewar stuff after seeing these, west-front. Especially that BT-1!!!!

Scott

[Shay]

In the last picture:

Any ideas as to what the peice of gear is, mounted to the starboard side fuse just forward of pilot's windscreen??

Shay
_____________
Semper Fortis

[Mark Nankivil]

Shay - it's a camera. The Ginter book on the TBD Devastator has some added info on these installations.

HTH! Mark

[Holedigger]

I thought it looked kind of like a camera. There is one on top the SBC-3 top wing as well, photo 3. Interesting?!?!