US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

94 Anzpbibians Came To Conquer
In the other major unit of the command, Lieutenant Commander George D.
Price, U. S. Navy, was in command of VT-5A, the current designation for
what previously had been called VT Squadron 20, and there were only three
other naval aviators in the squadron.
So, upon arrival, Commander Turner found much to be done. This was
not only because the Squadron and its flagship had been required to operate
under-manned in officers and men, but because a change was taking place
in the type of aircraft the Squadron operated. VT Squadron Five A was just
being provided with six new Martin torpedo airplanes (T3M-52), a type
which started coming off the assembly lines in July 1926. The orders from
the Department were that four were to be in commission and two in reserve.”
The hand-to-mouth existence of the Navy in the lean-national defense days
of the Coolidge Administration is illustrated by a quote from Commander
Turner’s official report. The new torpedo planes, he noted, ‘[were received
without any spare parts whatsoever. ” These T3M-2s were one engine tractor
biplanes with twin floats, built by Martin in 1926-27. “Spares did not begin
to arrive until March” 1928.35 Not only was the supply end of logistics
spotty, but adequate personnel were lacking. Only five aviators, including
Commander Aircraft Squadrons, and 33 enlisted men were assigned to the
squadron.
There was also a lean ration of bread and butter flight orders for the flight
crews. Only eight flight orders for the squadron were allowed and “several
enlisted men in the Squadron fly regularly, but have no flight orders.” In
due time Commander Turner’s efforts persuaded the Department to raise
this quota of flight orders to 14 against his recommended 22.3’
The four aviators in the Squadron were glad to have an aviator in com-
mand because they believed his voice would carry more weight than the
previous non-aviators at the Fleet staff level, he would understand their
many problems more quickly, and would be more apt to be sympathetic
to them. But their real desire was for a naval aviator who had been in
naval aviation as long or longer than they had been. Someone who would
anticipate the aviator’s problems and do something to avoid their even
arising. Commander Turner was accepted with an ‘‘It’s bound to be better
now’’—but the big question mark was ‘