It was a warm and sunny day in December when five
Avengers departed Ft. Lauderdale NAS eastbound
never to be seen again. What happened to them?
Could it have happened something like this?



RESOURCES

Aircraft & Crew List

7 December 1945 Board Of Investigation Complete Text

Flight 19 on Wikipedia

NAS JACKSONVILLE
Board of Investigation
7 December 1945

(excerpts from) FINDING OF FACTS


Fact #2.

The organized overwater navigation training flight assigned to Flight 19
on 5 December 1945 was Naval Air Station, Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
navigation problem No. 1 is as follows;

(1) depart 26 degrees 03 minutes north and 80 degrees 07 minutes west
    and fly 091 degrees (T) distance 56 miles
    to Hen and Chickens Shoals to conduct low level bombing,
    after bombing continue on course 091 degrees (T) for 67 miles,
(2) fly course 346 degrees (T) distance 73 miles and
(3) fly course 241 degrees (T) distance 120 miles,
    then returning to U.S. Naval Air Station, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

"26 degrees 03 minutes north and 80 degrees 07 minutes west"
On 5 December 1945, it was Ft. Lauderdale NAS.
I wonder what's there now, and is this a good camera angle?
Fact #13.

Unaccounted for since about 1900R, 5 December 1945
   TBM-3,  Bureau# 23307, Squadron# FT-28
   TBM-1E, Bureau# 46094, Squadron# FT-36
   TBM-1C, Bureau# 73209, Squadron# FT-117
   TBM-1C, Bureau# 46325, Squadron# FT-81
   TBM-1C, Bureau# 45714, Squadron# FT-3
   and the personnel assigned to these aircraft for Flight 19
   that departed from USNAS, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, at 1414R, 5 December 1945


Fact #24.

TIME 1611R 5 December 1945
USNAS, Ft. Lauderdale, learned that FT-28 was uncertain as to his position.


Fact #28.

At approximately 1800R, 5 December 1945, an approximate HF/DF fix
was obtained on FT-28 placing FT-28 within a one hundred mile radius
of 29 degrees, 15 minutes north, 79 degrees, 00 minutes west, at 1750R.


Fact #34.

Extensive search operations by surface craft and aircraft from
6 December to 10 December, inclusive conducted over land and sea areas
adjacent to the Florida peninsula failed to discover any wreckage or
locate any survivors of the five TBMs comprising Flight 19.