Halifax Ditching 202 Sq? Off Western Isles

[Lyffe]

Steve,

I can provide photos of some of the crew, plus a detailed summary of the sortie if that would help. Contact me by email (just click on my nom-de-plume and use the drop-down menu).

Brian

[Lyffe]

There's an eerie coincidence between the loss of LL510 in November 1944 and ST798 almost exactly six years later (December 1950), in that both accidents were witnessed by the crew of the ST Flanders (HMS Flanders in 1944).

Photographs of the trawler are at
http://www.fleetwood-trawlers.info/i...landers-fd165/

Brian

[MissHazey]

Could a couple of different stories be confused.

23rd April 1948 RG381 Halifax Met 6 of 202 Sqn was ditched in Lough Neagh with 0 casualties

Final Landings has

"The aircraft was on an air test and local flying sortie and was at 8000 feet, having been airborne for about an hour. The starboard inner engine started to overspeed and oil was seen pouring from the reduction gearbox. The fire extinguisher was operated but appeared not to function and the propeller, which appeared to be sliding backwards, and forwards along the shaft, would not feather. The pilot decied to ditch the aircraft and this was accomplished succesfully"

I don't suppose there is ANY CHANCE it is still there?? Or was it recovered

Update: I seem to remember seeing a picture of this aircraft in either Flypast or Aeroplane during recovery from Lough Neagh - Though it could have been another aircraft

Hi - I hope this is still read as I see it was posted a long time ago. I am currently typing up my Uncle's memoir and there is a piece about an emergency landing in it. "The third crash of the year ended up as a comedy. Another lost prop resulted in a two engine, and quite successful ditching in the cold waters of Lough Neagh only a few miles from the airfield. However due to the suddenness of the whole thing the Sargeant pilot had been unable to communicate with the control tower. Shortly after this a B.O.A.C. airliner circling over the lake on its approach to land at neighbouring Belfast airport made a call to Aldergrove tower politely enquiring as to whether at this time, the RAF was carrying out a full-scale ditching drill in Lough Neagh, which included a large crew and a real life bomber. The tower quickly dispatched a radio controlled motor launch which was based further up the lake. When the boat arrived on the scene, they were amazed to see a huge Halifax bomber sinking slowly under the lake surface while the crew were still hacking away at the wing, through several inches of water, to endeavour to release the emergency rubber dinghy which was still trapped in its compartment in the wing. All’s well that ends well and a large amount of Guiness was consumed in Aldergrove mess that night with several toasts to an observant B.O.A.C. crew."
I haven't an exact date for this but Uncle Duncan's last flights in the RAF before he went to Canada was to fly the main plane in the Dambuster film. So that would have been 1954.