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General => Armed Forces => Topic started by: joboy on Friday 21 August 09 09:46 BST (UK)
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The following news report appeared in The Times, Monday, 21 Jul 1947
(page 3)
ACCIDENTS AT NAVAL FLYING EXERCISES
FIVE MEN KILLED
From our correspondent
Melbourne, July 20
"During farewell flying manoeuvres in Port Phillip Bay by the visiting
British naval squadron to-day, five me were killed and one injured and
several aircraft were wrecked. Two pilots and two observers were
killed when their Fireflies came into collision and crashed into the
sea soon after leaving the carrier Theseus. Both aircraft sank
immediately. The escorting destroyer Cockade later retrieved one body.
Within an hour another crash occurred on board the carrier Glory, when
a Seafire, landing at high speed, missed the carrier's arrester wires
and smashed into several aircraft. Two maintenance repair men were
jammed between the aircraft, and one was mortally injured; the pilot
escaped injury.
The squadron, which is anchored in the bay to-night, is proceeding to
Sydney to-morrow, carrying out exercises en route in conjunction with
Australian warships and the Australian Air Force."
Another account follows;
"For some reason it was decided to do a day's flying on Sunday 20 July, thus completely destroying the week-end run ashore. Making due allowances for the unbridled debauchery, (the official ship's party had been held the night before) the landings weren't too bad, a fact which made the tragedies which followed not so easy to account for. The wind began to drop and Glory's large range was reduced by flying off only the Seafires. Whilst this was going on people on the flight deck were watching the aircraft from Theseus forming up, when out of a gaggle in the sky dropped something which spiralled down and disappeared into the water with a fountain of white to mark the spot.
Two of their Firefly aircraft had collided and four aircrew were killed, they were: Lieut.Cmdr (P) Nathaniel Martin Hearle RN, Lieut (P) Raymond Thomas Walker DSC, RN, Lieut (A) Kenneth Alfred Sellars RN, and Chief Petty Officer William Lovatt. One of their Seafires then made an erratic landing at 1445, slewed round narrowly missing the batsman, and then hit and fatally injured Ordinary Seaman Anthony E Timmons, who was in the flight deck walkway. Glory's turn came later when the Seafires returned. Lieut-Cmdr Waller RN the CO of 806 Squadron made his pass at the deck too fast, bounced over the barriers and crashed into the aircraft parked forward. Air Mechanic Sadler was seriously injured and was transferred to HMS Contest, who rushed him to Port Melbourne where an ambulance was waiting to take him to Heidelberg Military Hospital, but he was dead on arrival.
Petty officer Primrose was also injured in the crash which left the flight deck looking as if a Kamikaze attack had taken place. Three Seafires and a Firefly were complete write-offs, and three other Firefly aircraft were damaged seriously enough to engage the Maintenance Unit for some time. The pilot was unhurt and everyone considered it lucky that many more flight deck personnel had not been killed. It seemed clear that on a cruise like that it was impossible to combine serious flying with the strenuous social activities which are inescapable. The alternative solution would have been to stop the leave of aircrews 24 hours before they got airborne or to abandon flying until the ship had been at sea long enough to get some rest. It was particularly unfortunate that the accidents occurred when the two carriers were full of Australian service and civilian guests, including many press representatives.
The Australians had bought two aircraft carriers and must have considered their purchase with mixed feelings."
My own (vivid) memories;
It was a complete 'shambles' ........... the weather was good and OK for
flying ............. trouble was all the pilots were out 'on the town' the
night before.
It should never have happened .......... but there were senior naval
personnel from both Australia and India ......... perhaps others who were
there taking notes.
Australia was about to invest in its first aircraft carrier at that time and
the navy were 'strutting their stuff'.
I saw the crashes on the Theseus which was on our starboard side and a short
time after those crashes Lt.Waller crashed on the Glory .......... I was in
a gun sponson just one deck down from the flight deck when it happened and a
wheel broke off from his aircraft and whizzed over my head into the sea.
absolutely dreadful.
joboy
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The Australians had bought two aircraft carriers
HMS Majestic and HMS Terrible renamed
HMAS Melbourne an HMAS Sydney respectively
in 1967 I joined the crew HMAS Sydney my first ship
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My Dad was on HMS Contest on this day - often talks about it! Awful day he said where everything went wrong. In trying to help he fell in the sea and was reported.
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Ohh my Dad was in the Australian Navy at that time, working with the Aircraft carriers.. He was stationed at Nowra ....... I have some lovely pics of him and his time around there.
xin
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Ohh my Dad was in the Australian Navy at that time, working with the Aircraft carriers.. He was stationed at Nowra ....... I have some lovely pics of him and his time around there.
xin
Hi Xin ......... our paths cross yet again ........ if your dad's photo was about the time of the disaster he would be about my age 86 + ...... am I correct?
Being at Nowra he would have been servicing those planes from the Glory and Theseus.
Small world!!
Joe
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Joboy, Jimmy and Xin ... This thread's making me think the world's a smaller place than I'd previously suspected! My OH's uncle was in the Australian Navy ... and might even have been there on that day in 1947. He was supposed to have been on the first Sydney, on her fatal voyage;- but he came down with chicken pox a couple of days before she sailed.
From memory, he was born around 1908/10, and later served as an officer on the Melbourne.
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Yes there you go Joboy - but 'never the twain' and all that.
My Wonderful Pops was born in 1920 and very very sadly left us in 2011 - He was very special...
Firstly he was in the UK Navy - during the war and travelled a fair bit...... touching in at Sydney at one point......
He later decided to join the Australian Navy - and was based in Jarvis Bay for some time.
We followed him out as £10 pom 's but the marriage didnt stand the test of time..
And Pops brought my sister and I back to UK on a Naval ship... that was great fun about half a dozen children and lots of sailors -- :)
Dad then went back to Nowra - that was circa 1948 - 1954
xin
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Hi Deb..
I wonder if they knew each other, wouldnt that be great. I have a photo of dads that shows all of them around a plane.. In their 'whites' Will have to look it out.
xin
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Have you checked for his service record on the National Archives of Australia site?
http://www.naa.gov.au
I believe that most of the naval records have been done. I found a cousin who joined in the 1960's.
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Xin, I wouldn't be surprised if they knew each other. OH's uncle went by the name of Rutherford, in case there are names on that photo.
Yes, Nanna, I have done that ... and very carefully filed the printouts in an extremely heavy storage box that I'm not strong enough to lift down from the top of a wardrobe :-[
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I have a few items I've scanned that perhaps some of you will enjoy.
Dad served on HMS Contest - Loved Australia.
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Sorry - image sizes too large - hopefully these are better suited.
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Another two - one newspaper cutting.
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Another two - one newspaper cutting.
Hi janfijay ...... that last newspaper clipping ... looks like 'twas in Sydney 1947 .. do you have more information that might confirm?
If it was then the ship was probably HMS Glory and I would have been in the honour guard standing to attention up forward.
Joe
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Sure it was the Glory. My Dad says so. I'm seeing him tomorrow. He's 86 this year but memory is ok. I'll try to ding out some more.
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Sure it was the Glory. My Dad says so. I'm seeing him tomorrow. He's 86 this year but memory is ok. I'll try to ding out some more.
Thanks ...... then the clipping would be at Woolloomooloo in late July 1947 ..... I remember it well ..... I met my late wife on that very day in an oyster bar in Pitt Street.
Attached is a photo of us taken early August 1947.
I am the same age as your dad.
Joe
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Well I spent sometime in tears last night........ going through Pops wonderful photos....
There are quiet a few of him in Jarvis Bay and Parrametta etc... Not many of his 'mates' but one or two.
too many fond memories of going through them with him for me to cope with scanning just now.
maybe later tonight.
The one of them with the plane in their 'whites' I think is not in Australia. but will check.
xin
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This is a photo of Terrance Sadler who was injured on the Glory and died in Heidelberg Hospital a few days later.
Joe