Fleet air arm hellcats

[dinomartino1]

With a large pile of belted up ammunition in the foreground armourers check and load ammunition for Hellcat fighters on the flight deck of HMS AMEER. The photograph was taken during the eleven days of action in the course of which the successful landings on the islands of Ramree and Cheduba were made.

Lieut (A) Sanford James Kingsley Edwards, RNR, of Streatham, leader of a section of fighter pilots, by his Hellcat.

The French battleship RICHELIEU steaming in company as the KHEDIVE's flight deck control officer (wearing Mae West) gives taxi-ing instructions to a Naval Hellcat pilot when guiding a fighter into position on the catapult

A deck landing on the EMPEROR. The wheels of the Hellcat are just about to touch deck, and the hook at the tail of the plane is about to engage the arrester wire which will pull the aircraft up. The deck landing control officer, the batsman, who has been controlling the approach of the aircraft is seen on the left.

Sub Lieut Bernard Curtis White, RNZNVR, of Dunedin, naval fighter pilot standing under the port guns of his Hellcat.

An Air Mechanic, Ordnance, lining up guns in a Hellcat aircraft. RNAS Donibristle

Sub Lieut Roger Joseph Foxley, RNZNVR, of Gisborne, naval fighter pilot by his Hellcat.

The four pilots of a Section of a Hellcat fighter Squadron serving with the EMPRESS, just after they had landed on after attacking and shooting down a Japanese Oscar. Left to right: Sub Lieut (A) J C Allen, RNVR, of Cambridge; Sub Lieut (A) J E Rickatson, RNVR, of Hull; Sub Lieut (A) B Wiseberg, RNVR, of Prestwich, Manchester; and the Section Leader, Lieut (A) John Meyerscough, RNVR, of Cottam, Near Preston, Lancs.

The bulldozer is advancing to give this crashed Hellcat fighter its final push which will send it over the side of HMS Khedive

 

[dinomartino1]

A Wren checking out a Grumman Hellcat.

Nine Irishmen serving in the KHEDIVE, standing in front of a Hellcat. Left to right: back row: AB James Campbell, Ready, County Armagh; Wm Russell, Belfast; AB Hugh Fox, Belfast; Leading Writer J Markwell, Belfast; Leading Writer Terence Rowan, Belfast; AB Wm Maddocks, Belfast. Front row: John Anderson, Belfast; AB George Hill, Kilrea, County Derry; AB Hugh McCluskey, Portaferry, County Down.

Eight Glasgow men serving in the KHEDIVE standing in front of a Hellcat Naval fighter. Left to right: W McCarthy; D Breckenridge, Maryhill; A Hunter, Partick West; R Walker; J McGettigan, Springburn. Front row: E Lyons; W McIntosh, Govan; A Crook, Mountellen Garteosh, near Glasgow.

This Naval Hellcat fighter of 808 Squadron is just going to have its engine run up on the flight deck after being serviced by its maintenance crew. The fitter is climbing into the cockpit to operate the throttle and take the instrument readings; the chockmen are at the undercarriage wheels holding the chocks in position to prevent the aircraft riding them when the engine is flat out, whilst underneath a mechanic is loading a cartridge into the starter mechanism.

250 lbs bomb being loaded on to a Hellcat. HMS emperor

HMS Ravenger
The propeller churns the water as an out of control aircraft dives into the sea. It is a Hellcat of 800 or 804 Squadron.(S/Lt Trotman)

Sub Lieut (A) Donald William Barraclough, RNVR, of Bradford, beside his Hellcat.

Standing on the bridge of the EMPRESS, Lieut (A) John Myerscough, RNVR, of Cottam, Near Preston, Lancs, waves to the cameraman. He had just reported to his Captain the details of how he had shot down a Japanese Oscar whilst leading his Section of Hellcat fighters giving air protection to a Task Force of the East Indies Fleet. It was the first Japanese fighter shot down from the EMPRESS and the ship's artist wasted no time in recording the signal event by painting the Japanese flag and an aircraft silhouette alongside.

 

[dinomartino1]

Sub Lieut N A Limgue, R Netherlands Navy pilot, from Sourbaya, Java, after successful landing of his Hellcat back on the carrier despite the fact that a good portion of the tail had been shot away by flak.

These two Armourer ratings are busy servicing the guns of a Hellcat fighter. On the left is James Walker Kennedy of Burton-on-Trent, on the right, William Hodgetts, of Bradford, Yorks.

Sub Lieut (A) R J Foxley, RNZNVR, from Gisborne, NZ. He was leading a section of four Hellcats which intercepted a formation of seven Japanese Oscars. They had a "dog fight" during the course of which Sub Lieut Foxley's Hellcat sustained the damage he is looking at here. After they had routed the Japanese they formed up and resumed their patrol. Within ten minutes Sub Lieut Foxley attacked another Oscar which was following them from astern and shot it down.

A Grumman Hellcat landing on HMS RAVAGER as the batsman makes the all-clear signal

Formation flying by Dutch pilots of 1840 Squadron in Grumman Hellcats based at Royal Naval Air Station Eglinton, Northern Ireland. The squadron is made up of over 80% Dutch.
Grumman Hellcats of No.1840 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Eglinton in Northern Ireland, 23 June 1944.

Seafires and Hellcats ranged on the flight deck of the FORMIDABLE.

 

[dinomartino1]

Bare chested armourers adjusting a Grumman Hellcat's machine guns on board HMS INDOMITABLE, part of the Eastern Fleet.

View attachment 17753
Hellcats of the Royal Navy in a practice low level attack against their own carrier.

Whilst the armourer ratings unload its guns, a group assembles round a crashed Grumman Hellcat of 804 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm as it hangs over the edge of the ship, to decide how it should be removed to clear the deck on board HMS AMEER. The photograph was taken during the eleven days of action in the course of which the successful landings on the islands of Ramree and Cheduba were made.

 

[dinomartino1]

Air Mechanic (O) Fred Mitchell, of Lurgan, Armagh, Northern Ireland, cleaning out the barrels of the machine guns of a Hellcat fighter the evening before the attack. HMS Indomitable

Sub Lieut (A) Sydney Charles Richardson, RNVR, of Sale, nr Manchester, who shot down a Dinah bomber off the Sumatran coast while flying a Naval Hellcat fighter.

Lieut Cdr Chapman of Fontwell, about to flag a Hellcat fighter off the flight deck.
HMS Indomitable

A plumb line being dropped from the nose of a Hellcat to harmonise the guns of the aircraft. RNAS Donibristle

Sub Lieut (A) Charles Ford, RNVR, of Glasgow, naval fighter pilot by his Hellcat. HMS Khedive

"Too high go round again!" The Batsman is waving his bat to indicate to the pilot of this Hellcat fighter that he is too high to make a safe landing. This shot shows plainly the way the arrester hook hangs down in a position to engage the arrester wires stretched athwartships. HMS Khedive

Flight Deck Scenes: A Big range of aircraft parked at the forward end of the flight deck of HMS ILLUSTRIOUS after landing on completion of an exercise. In the immediate foreground are Hellcats and Wildcats and further forward are Fairey Fulmars and Fairey Swordfish.

Petty Officer Bill Hannay of Erith, Kent, guiding a Hellcat fighter into the take-off position.

From the island in the background the Commanding Officer, Captain W A Dallmeyer, DSO, RN, and Commander Flying, Commander (F) J Borrett, RN, direct the take-off of a Hellcat 6-gun naval fighter. Above is the flag deck and below the starboard wing can be seen some of the aircraft handling party and aft the fire and crash party. HMS Venerable

 

[dinomartino1]

The pilot of a Grumman Hellcat makes an abortive landing aboard HMS AMEER and powers up to fly around and attempt again after his first approach was to high.

An unhurt pilot of the Royal Netherlands Navy climbs out of his crashed Grumman Hellcat, its nose resting on the flight deck, after making a crash landing on board HMS TRUMPETER. A crowd is gathering round the front of the aircraf

Eric Calow, an armourer, surveying the strings of ammunition, laid out on the floor, that he is about to supply to the guns of a Grumman Hellcat of 800 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm on board the escort carrier HMS EMPEROR

A large group of men helping to clear a crashed Grumman Hellcat of 804 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm from the flight deck of the Escort Carrier HMS AMEER whilst others look on. This photograph was taken during the eleven days of action in the course of the successful landings on the islands of Ramree and Cheduba

Grumman Hellcat pilots of the escort carrier HMS EMPEROR studying a model of the German battleship TIRPITZ and its hide-out in Alten Fjord on the flight deck just before the attack, which left the TIRPITZ blazing, began. Two of their aircraft can be seen in the distance.

 

[dinomartino1]

Deck handling party waiting for a Hellcat fighter to come up on the lift.

A Hellcat fighter ranged on deck at dawn before taking off to attack Japanese positions.

Sub Lieut (A) S C Richardson, RNVR, of Sale, Cheshire, and Naval Photographer (A) J W Price of Chorlton cum Hardy checking up on a camera before a flight. Ceylon

Dutch pilots, now flying with the Fleet Air Arm, receiving last minute instructions from their Commanding Officer, Lieut Cdr Richardson, of New Zealand, before carrying out Air to Ground attacks during training at a Royal Naval Air Station. Armourers are re-arming the Hellcat's six .5-inch Browning Machine Guns.
RNAS Ellington N.Ireland

Ammunitioning the .5 guns of the Grumman Hellcat.

One of HMS EMPEROR's bomb party writing the message "An installment from London" on the bomb mount on a Grumman Hellcat of 800 Squadron, whilst the ship is off the coast of southern France just before the invasion began.

 

[dinomartino1]

Lined up on each side of the white line on the flight deck waiting for the word "Go". Hellcat fighter bombers with wings stored a short while before they took off to attack shipping of the Norwegian coast

Hellcats are queued up with engines roaring, waiting their turn to be catapulted off to attack shipping off Norway

Lieutenant (A) S Lawrence landing his Supermarine Walrus safely on deck of an aircraft carrier after rescuing the pilot of a Grumman Hellcat which had been shot down while attacking Japanese positions on the Nicobar Islands. During the rescue Lt Lawrence landed on the sea under heavy machine gun fire. The landing crew can be seen racing over to take charge.

A bulldozer is brought into action on the carrier's flight deck. It is pushing the crashed Hellcat into position so the Salvage Party can get to work clearing up the mess. HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH is in the background.

 

[Enigma1938]

The bird crashing into the sea looks more like a Grumman Avenger than a Hellcat

 

[Steve27752]

The bird crashing into the sea looks more like a Grumman Avenger than a Hellcat

You are correct.