RNZAF personnel being transfered for what purpose?

[aircraftclocks]

On 1 November 1942, the following personnel were transferred from USS Stratford, which then anchored in the Pekoa channel, Espiritu Santo for the night

McGREGOR, R.B.L. F/Lt.
SCOTT, R.L. F/O
HENDRY, J.A. F/O
HITCHCOCK, G. P/O
HULL, T.E.M. P/O
DALLIMORE, A.H. LAC
ROGERS, C.P.D. LAC
WHITEMAN, J.B. LAC
TURNER, C. Cpl
FULLARTON, J.E. P/O
BENTLEY, J.W. Sgt
STEPHENSON, R.F. Sgt
HOWARD, G. Cpl
GIBBS, R.V. LAC
STROTHER, A.D. LAC
SANDFORD, E.R. LAC
WHITEHEAD, J.W. LAC
MARSHALL, C.J. Sgt
BOOTH, J.H. LAC
ALCOCK, W.H. LAC
BARTLETT, J.L. LAC
MURPHY, B.R. LAC
CELLS, H.A. Cpl
REED, N. A.C.1
JOHNSTONE, G.A. A.C.1

What unit is this?

[Dave Homewood]

Ex-Members No. 5 (GR) Squadron, I believe, who were posted temporarily to a US Navy Catalina unit to gain experience. they then returned to Fiji and formed No. 6 (FB) Squadron.

The following were definitely on No. 5 Squadron in Fiji on the Short Singapores. The other may have been too.

McGREGOR, Ronald Bruce Leslie F/Lt. 1st Pilot
SCOTT, Robert L. F/O, 1st Pilot
HENDRY, James Alexander F/O, 2nd Pilot
HITCHCOCK, George Condor P/O, 2nd Pilot
FULLARTON, James Edwin P/O, Navigator
STEPHENSON, Robert F. (Bob) Sgt, Flight Mechanic
GIBBS, Roy Verdun LAC, Flight Mechanic
STROTHER, Arthur David LAC, Flight Mechanic/Flight Engineer

[aircraftclocks]

That makes sense, I have found that they boarded the USS Straford in Suva on 23 October 1942 for an intended journey to Espiritu Santo.

[Dave Homewood]

I cannot recall the number of the US Navy unit they joined, I have it somewhere.... I think it was a Black Cat squadron.