Click on photos for a high-resolution (600 DPI) version.
Seaplanes working from USS Cumberland Sound VS-17
Seaplanes working from USS Cumberland Sound VS-17
Seaplanes in formation working from USS Cumberland Sound VS-17 1943
Seaplane working from USS Cumberland Sound VS-17 1944
Seaplane departing
Seaplanes returning from day's search. USS Cumberland Sound VS-17
Towing plane to be hoisted aboard USS Cumberland Sound VS-17, Hilo, Hawaii.
Servicing a plane on the deck of the USS Cumberland Sound VS-17, 1944
Hoisting the J2F6 aboard the USS Cumberland Sound AV-17. This is the first one (unknown what that "first one" note on the photo means).
Seaplane coming on board USS Cumberland Sound AV-17 for servicing. 1944 (There was no notation on the original photo, but this appears to be a captured Kawanishi H8K2.)
PBM seaplane being hoisted aboard the USS Cumberland Sound AV-17.
Seaplane being serviced near the USS Cumberland Sound AV-17. (There was no notation on the original photo, but this appears to be a captured Kawanishi H8K2.)
Plane being hoisted on board USS Cumberland Sound AV-17
The black duck in Ulithi, 1945
Plane crash - no details known
Plane crash - no details known
Patrol plane being brought up on deck of the USS Cumberland Sound AV-17 for servicing, 1944 (There was no notation on the original photo, but this appears to be a captured Kawanishi H8K2.)
Two PBMs lock horns after one goes adrift. Eniwetok, December 1944
Clumsy PBMs lock horns at Eniwetok, December 1944
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Credit line for photographs should read “Photo by William Clay McGehee”.
That is a nice use of a captured Japanese sea plane. I hope nobody mistook it and shot our guys down.
Sharp eyes, Mike! I’ve added a note to the photo. I’d sure like to know the story behind that one.
The Martin PBM Mariner serviced by the Cumberland Sound was a two-engine plane. What is the four-engine plane shown in the first three photos on this page?
I think those are the PB2Y Coronado. Here’s a 3D drawing of that model – http://www.aviastar.org/pictures/usa/cons_coronado.gif
Hello William the departing seaplane photo is Tanapag Harbor at Saipan , and the Black Duck at Ulithi is setting on Falalop Island airstrip that was the only airstrip in the Atoll
Hello William the H8K-2 went to the US Navy test center at PAX River Maryland and later went back to Japan .
Thanks, Robert! We sure do appreciate you filling in the blanks on this. I’ve got to ask – were you on the Cumberland Sound? I’ve been hoping to hear from an actual crew member or officer from AV-17 since this project was first started. At the very least, I’ve been hoping that the site would be viewed by a crew member or officer.
William was my father (died in 2009), so as his eldest son, I’ve been maintaining this web site. Take care and God Bless!
William first thanks for posting these great photos they are first class good historical stuff , I am just a guy that has been a student of the Pacific war since I was 11 years old and I am almost 71 so I have picked up a few things , any other data that I learn I will pass along to you . best regards Bob Rocker
Thank you, sir! We deeply appreciate the help. We’re dealing with what the history books leave out, so what you’re providing is invaluable. Please be sure to pass along anything else you notice about what you find here.
On a different note, last night, I discovered a VHS video tape that my father had of the 1994 reunion of the USS Cumberland Sound Veterans Association. We took it to my mother’s house and watched it, but the sound quality was so poor that it is almost unusable. I hope that I can somehow improve the sound – if so, I’d like to convert it to digital video and post it here. The reunion was held in Orlando, Florida. My mother was watching the video with us, but she did not remember being there at all.