Another innovation pioneered by recycled Avengers was the "carrier on board delivery (COD)" mission. It was nothing unusual for Avengers and other aircraft to fly small cargoes from shore onto carriers, but the Navy had never had an aircraft dedicated to the mission. During the Korean War, a number of TBM-3s and TBM-3Ws were converted to the "TBM-3R" configuration, with all combat gear removed, the rear of the canopy glassed-in or faired over, and seats for seven passengers installed in the rear compartment.

The photo's below are of an early TBF-1, taken at NAS San Diego (date unknown)









Regards Duggy.