TCASII RA ON INITIAL CLB.

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TKOF TO S AT MEM; FOLLOWING AN MLG ABOUT 3 MI AHEAD. AT 1000 FT ALT; TWR ASKED IF WE HAD MLG IN SIGHT. WE DID AND AFFIRMED THIS. TWR STATED; 'TURN L TO N; KEEP MLG IN SIGHT TURNING N.' WE STARTED L TURN INSIDE OF MLG WHICH HAD GONE ABOUT 5 MI SE OF ARPT. BECAUSE WE WERE VERY LIGHT WT WE WERE CLBING AT ABOUT 3000 FPM. TWR THEN SAID; 'CONTACT DEP.' ON CHANGING TO DEP; HE SOUNDED SURPRISED AT OUR CALL; AND THEN INSTRUCTED US TO STOP TURN AT 070 DEG HDG. AT THIS POINT WE WERE AT ABOUT 4000 FT. AT THIS POINT WE REALIZED THAT THE MLG NOW WAS HDG DUE N; DIRECTLY TOWARD US. AT THIS POINT THE TCASII RA OCCURRED INSTRUCTING US TO DSND AT 2000 FPM. WE DID SO AND MISSED MLG BY ABOUT 500 FT VERTICALLY AND 1 1/2 - 2 MI HORIZLY. WE DISCUSSED THE SIT WITH CTLR AND HE SAID HE WAS ON LANDLINE WHEN HDOF OCCURRED AND DIDN'T REALIZE TWR HAD TOLD US TO FLY N. HAD WE CONTINUED TURNING N; CONFLICT WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED. THE ENTIRE INCIDENT WAS APPARENTLY A BREAKDOWN IN COM. ADDITIONALLY; I FEEL HAD WE CONTINUED CLBING WE WOULD NOT HAVE CONFLICTED WITH MLG; HOWEVER; TCASII THOUGHT OTHERWISE AND THAT IS NOT THE TIME TO QUESTION IT. THE SYS DID WORK!