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HISTORY 0F COMPOSITE SQUADRON 65 (VC-65)


TBMs in flight over USS Midway
Courtey Mike McKenna

 

On New Years day 1944, some of the men were able to see the Rose Bowl parade and the game at Pasadena. Around the end of January or early February, the squadron transferred to Holtville NAS, in the desert, East of El Centro. The training here was live glide bomb runs and firing on targets in the desert. Since it was early springtime, the squadron experienced the desert sand storms, which caused extra work for the maintenance crew cleaning the aircraft and getting the sand out of the brakes. Much of the flying here was night flying. It was hot in the desert, however the barracks were cooled with evaporative coolers, (sometimes called swamp coolers).

With the training complete, VC-65 transferred to North Island NAS at San Diego
about the middle of March, 1944. The transfer here was to await the arrival of the squadron's carrier, the U.S. S. Midway (CVE 63). The officers went to the BOQ area and the enlisted were billeted on the beach area on the West Side of the air station. The billeting facilities for the enlisted men consisted of hard side tents with centrally located head (bath and toilet) facilities. Mess hall and squadron facilities were on the East Side of the air station. Transportation to and from the areas was by open sided trailers with bench seats running the length of the trailer.


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