This film was shot on May 8, 1945 and shows USS Block Island (CVE-106) being fueled by USS Merrimack (AO-37). It also shows the transfer of mail and personnel between the ships. During this refueling, which took place south east of Okinawa, they took on 196,990 gallons of fuel oil and 50,000 gallons of aviation fuel. The total time they were connected together was from 1304 until 1558...a total of around 3 hours.

These were among the first Marine Squadrons to operate from Escort Carriers in the Pacific theater during WW2. There were four Escort Carriers that started this new program:

CVE-106 USS Block Island with squadrons VMTB-233 and VMF-511
CVE-107 USS Gilbert Islands with squadrons VMTB-143 and VMF-512
CVE-109 USS Cape Gloucester with squadrons VMTB-132 and VMF-351
CVE-111 USS Vella Gulf with squadrons VMTB-234 and VMF-513

More of these WW2 Carrier based training and operations videos will be found at channel @VMTB143Mike. I will be uploading new videos of the Squadron, ship training and combat experience over time.

These films are from the collections of the USMC History Division and are digitized and physically preserved through a partnership with the University of South Carolina. These films, and much more, can be found at digital.library.sc.edu.

#WW2FighterPilot #WW2Aircraft Carrier #WW2History #WW2FighterPilotTraining #WW2Color #WW2

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