On December 5, 1945, a flight of five Grumman TBM Avengers - known as Flight 19- went missing over the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean. Neither the aircraft nor any of the 14 airmen have been found. Leading the overwater navigation and combat training flight was US Navy Lt Charles Carroll Taylor, whose TBM-1C, 45714 F-T 3, is our subject. The formation took off from the naval air station at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 1410hrs, heading roughly east over the sea to carry out a low-level bombing practice and a multiple- leg navigation exercise. Taylor had around 2,500 flying hours, mostly in Avengers, and had completed a combat tour in the Pacific theatre.
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