Grumman TBM Avenger COD

One of the primary missions of the VR-24 Detachment, Naples was to deliver personnel, cargo, and mail to the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet operating in the Mediterranean. To support this mission the Detachment operated a series of aircraft capable of flying on and off of aircraft carriers. In February 1952, VR-22 sent several TBM-3Rs, pilots, and maintenance personnel to Naples to begin "carrier-on-deck-delivery", or simply "COD", operations in the Med. These aircraft and at least some of the personnel were subsequently transferred to the VR-24 Detachment. The Grumman TBM Avenger, first flown two weeks after Pearl Harbor, hence the name "Avenger", was used not only as a torpedo bomber, but in many other roles by the U.S. Navy and Allied services. Variants of the type continued to be used after the war for ASW, electronic counter measures, ship-shore communications, and COD operations. Removal of the plane's turret, tunnel gun, and other hardware made space for up to seven seats in some versions. Reports indicate that VR-24 Det Naples operated both the dash-R and E models with seats for four pasenges in the "greenhouse" aft of the pilot. Space in the "bilge" accommodated cargo, mail, or another passenger and an enlisted crewman. Cargo and mail could be also be stowed in the enclosed torpedo/bomb bay below the wing. The TBM was known among pilots for its "docile" nature. It was also remembered by former members of VR-24 Det Naples as a "hydraulics nightmare".