New Zealand airman on USS Saratoga

[Dave Homewood]

I have been reading the biographies on the Royal new Zealand Navy Museum's website, particularly the Fleet Air Arm men (you can tel them from the lists as they have a (A) after their rank, which stood for Air.

This chap Kenneth Petrie is interesting in that he flew Avengers first off a Royal Navy carrier and then apparently had some time aboard USS Saratoga (or as the website states - USN Saragota!!)

www.navymuseum.mil.nz/history/pers/name-index/p/petrie-k-f-b.htm

I wonder if many other kiwis spent time on operational US carriers (I know many of them did training on US Navy carriers whilst training in the USA, but Saratoga was a frontline carrier in the Pacific fleet I believe. Interesting stuff.

[errolmartyn]

Dave,

According to Sturtivant and Ballance's bible, The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm', 832 Sqn was on board Saratoga 'for operations in support of landings in the mid-Solomons'. The Sqn embarked on the US carrier on 27 Jun 43 and returned to the Victorious on 24 Jul 43, which then sailed for the UK (not the Saratoga as suggested by the museum's account).

These RNZN oral interviews seem to be pretty poor beer, surely more information than the extremely brief accounts displayed was gathered.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for the extra details Errol. Very interesting stuff regarding the FAA squadron's time on USS Saratoga. I agree that the museum's site could have more detail, and more accurate detail too, in their biographies section. It has potential but has not quite reached it, in my opinion.

I find it odd how they say, for example, "the 832 Squadron" rather than "No. 832 Squadron", which is the RNZAF/RAF way of referring to a squadron. It is on all the FAA biographies this way, with 'the' rather than 'No.'

Is that a Navy-ism or just the way this website does it? I have not heard that particular style of referring to a squadron from any of the 20 plus Fleet Air Arm aircrew members I've recently interviewed.