Spitfires/Seafires in the USA

[Peter Arnold]

Hello Bill,
I wonder if in your photographic travels you managed to capture any images of Spitfires in the USA/Canada, say pre 1970.
Several were shipped to North America for test and evaluation. A couple were use for racing and one of these TZ138 is still extant. I am particularly interested in shots of this machine in the early 1960's post Perry Airport Florida when it seemed to disappear into the clutches of the Confederates.
Did you ever see the Seafire III tested at Patuxant? I have shots of this machine lying derelict at an airport or military base but have no location details. There are some of us here in the UK who wonder if this machine just might turn up one day.
Best regards,
Peter Arnold
Spitfire Historian

[Bill Larkins]

Spitfires

Sorry for the delay in answering. I have been on jury duty on a long trial and it has interfered to say the least. I shot a Spoitfire at Reno and will post it when I can find it - don't recall the date. But I do remember one that I always thought was rare and I'm not sure anyone else got it. In August 1945 I photographed MV358 at Newark, NJ. It was part of some kind of military display but I could never find out why it was there or where it went. I have since been told that it is/was an
FR MkXIVe. Does that make any sense? I'll post the photo here as soon as I have a chance to scan it.

[Bill Larkins]

Spitfire N8MK Landing at Reno

Here is a shot of SL721 landing at Reno in September 1981. You probably have lots on this one but it might be of interest to others.

[Bill Larkins]

Spitfire Landing

Sorry, typo...that is N8WK.

[Peter Arnold]

Hello Bill,

I was getting worried!

MV358 was a Mk XIV. It departed to the US on the Empire Severn on the 27 May 1945 arriving in New York on the 15 of June. It returned to the UK on 22 Jan 1947. I have no idea why it went to the US at this time and what it did there. Anybody got any ideas?

I look forward with some anticipation to seeing the photograph. Perhaps the environs will give a clue to the purpose of its visit.

SL721 is an old friend. I supplied 'Woody' with all the livery drawings and chips for that scheme.

Many thanks.

Peter

[Bill Larkins]

Spitfire MV358

Peter: Sorry to be so slow. And apologies for the poor quality of this photo. The neg is dense and doesn't scan well. I don't remember too much about it but it was a ground display of planes for the war effort after VE Day on May 8th. There was a B-17G (44-8743) and an RA-24B (42-54372) on display as well. A front view shows the sign "British Spitfire" hanging down between the landing gear.

[Bill Larkins]

Spitfire MV358, Newark, NJ 8-4-45

Here is the front view.

[Peter Arnold]

Hello Bill,
Very many thanks for posting the two images. I have had that frontal shot 'British Spitfire' in my files for over 25 years with he caption on the back reading 'TZ138'!! TZ138 was of course the other Mk XIV Spitfire shipped to the US and used for Winterisation trials in Canada and then went on to a racing career as CF-GMZ at the Cleveland Trials in 1949. It has recently been refurbished to fly in the US and is now based back in Canada.
If there were any chance of a higher resolution image of the side view of MV358 by direct email it would be most appreciated.

I am going to endeavour to attache a couple of shots of a Seafire Mk II, thought to be MB190 photographed somewhere in the US post WWII. Anybody with thoughts on the location or confirmation of its final fate please shout.

Peter

[Peter Arnold]

Seafire II in the US. Another image.