With history going back to 1945 with delivery to the US Navy as 85460, this Avenger went to the Royal Canadian Navy next from 1950 - 60. Returning to the USA as N7032, the aircraft was converted to a tanker and sprayer. Back to Canada once again in 1976 for Forest Protection Limited of Fredericton, NB as C-GFPS, it spent a busy 25 years in Eastern Canada. Inactive and stored during 2003 - 2004, the aircraft was sold privately in 2005 to become N145WB. Pictured still in Forest Protection Limited colors, it has been kept in tanker configuration, but does no work.

Three Grumman TBM Avengers were imported by Israeli operators for agricultural use in the late 1960s or early 1970s and some flew on spraying contracts in Greece. In July 1978 the three aircraft were parked on the northeast side of Herzlia Airport still wearing their US registrations. Pictured are (L to R) N7850C (msn 2094, ex US Navy 69355), N6582D (ex-Royal Canadian Navy 385) and N6829C (msn 4646, ex US Navy 91741) with registrations confirmed from my other photographs. N7850C is now preserved at the IAF Museum at Hatzerim AFB and N6582D was seen in Nov. 2017 being restored at Herzlia Airport. The fate of N6829C is not known.

Performed a ditching close to Cocoa Beach, FL after engine failure on 17. April 2021

Now painted to represent an aircraft of the US Navy. I liked the former British scheme better.

Operated by Sonora Aviation. Originally delivered to the U.S. Navy with serial 53829.

Built for the US Navy by General Motors as 69506 and transferred to the UK in May 1953. From the condition of the propeller it looks to have suffered a landing gear collapse. Struck off charge on 27 March 1961 and scrapped.

Built for the US Navy by General Motors as 53221 and transferred to the UK on 31 March 1953. Sold as scrap here at Abbotsinch in 1963.

Originally delivered to the U.S. Navy, serial 85883. Just two months after this photo was taken the aircraft crashed and was destroyed.

Operated by Reeder Flying Service. The aircraft is fitted with spray bars along the wing trailing edge. This was seen on many air tankers, which were frequently used for agricultural spraying when not in use for fire suppression duties.

ex USN 85938

ex USN 85938

ex USN 85938.

The Dutch Naval Air Service received 24 TBM-3W2 Avengers, equipped with APS-20 radar, from 1953. 16-104 and 16-108 are formally P-104 and P-108, the aircraft type letter P being the 16th letter in the alphabet. This serial presentation denoted naval aircraft. In a new serial system introduced in 1959, these two airframes became 046 and 048 respectively but they were scrapped in the following year. Photo from: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie