I'm
almost certain this photo looks north
to Rose Canyon with La Jolla Shores in
the background. I could tell for sure
if I could see the old Rose Canyon
brickyard and smokestack, but 2-T-9 is
covering that area. In the foreground
you can see the railroad track heading
north and Highway 101 (now East
MIssion Bay Drive) veering off to
Pacific Beach. Today's intersection of
Balboa and Mission Bay Drive is just
under 2-T-9's wingtip.
It's amazing what
you can learn on the internet. Here's
what it says about the airplanes in this
photo: "2-T-9" was lost on 12 January
1940 with VT-3 in a mid-air collision
with TBD-1 BuNo 0373. The crew (Ens.
Walter G. Barnes, Jr. P. E. Dickson,
AMM2 C. W. Post, RM2) bailed out safely.
"2-T-7" (section leader) was later lost
with VT-5 when it crash-landed in the
Jaluit Atoll lagoon, Marshall Islands,
on 1 February 1942. The crew (Lt. Harlan
T. Johnson (XO VT-5), Charles E. Fosha,
ACMM, NAP, James W. Dalzell, RM1c)
became prisoners of war. This aircraft
was rediscovered, circa 1997 (location:
N 5 58' 39" E 169 27' 6"). "2-T-8". It
was later lost with VT-8 during the
Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. The
crew (Ens. William W. Creamer, Francis
S. Polston, SEA2c) was killed.
