Photo: Pacific Fleet Exercises During the Late 1930's

Pictured here is the New Mexico (BB-40) in the van with other battleships of the Pacific Fleet and a carrier air group, led by the Air Group Commander in a Curtiss SBC Helldiver, during exercises at sea, 1938 / 1939. The aircraft following are: A torpedo squadron of 18 Douglas TBD-1s; A bombing squadron of 18 Northrop BT-1s; A scouting squadron of 18 Curtiss SBCs; A fighting squadron of 18 Grumman F2F-1s or F3F-3s from either the Yorktown (CV-5) or F3F-2s from the Enterprise (CV-6), plus possibly nine additional aircraft. The Yorktown and Enterprise were the only two carriers whose bombing squadrons were equipped with the Northrop BT-1.