07/31/2014. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "This aircraft was built as a TBF-1 under the USN BuNo. 24085. Under the Lend-Lease program it was diverted to the Royal Navy and it was handed over to the British at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, on June 8, 1943. It was allotted the British serial FN859 and the designation Tarpon Mk.I, soon thereafter the designation was altered to Avenger Mk.I. The aircraft most likely never left the USA as it was assigned to the RN Fleet Air Arm Squadron No. 738. This training unit operated out of NAS Lewiston, Maine, from July 31, 1943 on, moving to NAS Brunswick in February 1945 and was disbanded in July 1945.

Upon disbandment of the squadron the aircraft was returned to the USN at NAS Norfolk, Virginia on July 2, 1945, in December that year it was transferred to NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, and was used for service tests. In November 1946 it was struck off charge, fourteen years later it was donated to the National Air Museum (now NASM). The aircraft is a bit of a hybrid, being a Grumman-built TBF-1, it has radio equipment in a station featured by the Eastern-built TBM-1C, the port wing is also from a TBM-1C, while the starboard wing is from a TBM-3J. When these modifications took place is a mystery."

Read the type remarks on page 12451.