It deployed to RAF St Eval in England as part of the 1st Antisubmarine Group (Provisional); it trained with RAF Coastal Command on aerial antisubmarine tactics.
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It was part of the 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional) under the operational control of the United States Navy Fleet Air Wing 15, which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier.
Deployed again to Port Lyautey in French Morocco in March 1943 to shore up scanty Allied antisubmarine defenses in the Atlantic approaches to the Straits of Gibraltar as part of 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional) under the operational control of the United States Navy (USN) Fleet Air Wing 15 (FAW-15), which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier.
There the unit transitioned onto Boeing B-17E Flying Fortresses and, following familiarization with the much larger and complex aircraft, were almost immediately tasked with antisubmarine patrols duties between Guatemala City and the Galapagos Islands, the third-longest patrol route ever assigned any unit of the Air Corps to that time.
It moved to California in December 1941 and flew antisubmarine patrols off the west coast, then moved to the Southwest Pacific in the fall of 1943 and flew reconnaissance missions over New Britain, New Guinea, and the Admiralty Islands from bases in New Guinea and Biak.
Flew antisubmarine patrols until August 1943 when the antisubmarine mission was taken over by the United States Navy.
By then, the United States Navy had taken over responsibility for antisubmarine operations and the unit was reduced to an administrative organization.
Operated until 18 September 1943 when the antisubmarine mission was taken over by the United States Navy.
Later re-equipped with B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, October 1942-September 1943 when the antisubmarine mission was taken over by the United States Navy.
The 121st OS, which had also been flying observation flights as part of the "Carolina Maneuvers", began antisubmarine patrols over the Atlantic coast using O-47s and L-4 Grasshoppers.
For the MSDF, the focus was on upgrading antisubmarine capabilities, with the purchase of new destroyer escorts equipped with the Aegis system and SH-60J antisubmarine helicopters, and on improving antimine warfare and air defense systems.
Initially, the mission of the new Air Force field was to fly antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico, with the 69th Observation Group flying light aircraft (Douglas O-38, Douglas O-46, North American O-47) from November 1942 until March 1943.
He had previously worked in the NZR Hillside Workshops, and in World War II served in the Royal New Zealand Navy in the Atlantic and Pacific, commanding minesweeper HMS Deodar and antisubmarine vessel HMNZS Moa.
Benoist Aircraft and the St. Louis Car Company jointly proposed the construction of 5,000 Type XVs for the United Kingdom for use on antisubmarine patrols, but the British preferred Curtiss flying boats and nothing came of the idea.
With the running down of the UK's carrier fleet, from the political angle it was viewed as unwise by Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Defence Minister Denis Healey to scrap the officially new and expensive Tiger-class cruisers and it was believed they might add to antisubmarine capabilities and free space on the remaining carriers helicopters, and therefore in 1965, work began on Blake for her to be converted into a helicopter cruiser while Tiger began her conversion in 1968.