ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 203076
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| Date: | Saturday 16 December 1939 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Fairey Swordfish Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 814 Sqn FAA RN |
| Registration: | |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Atlantic Ocean, off Dakar -
 Senegal
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | HMS Hermes, off Dakar, Senegal |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
In the fall of 1939 the old British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes and the French Battleship Strasbourg formed Force X that operated from Dakar to search German raiders and blockade runners in the Atlantic. These patrols continued until end of December 1939 with no sighting.
On 16 December 1939, a Swordish of 814 Sqn FAA operating from the Hermes ditched at sea during night flying operations off Dakar. The pilot and air gunner were rescued, but Lt Basil Edward Coombs was killed. His body was recovered and he is buried in Dakar (Bel-Air) Cemetery.
Sources:
1. http://www.naval-history.net/xDKWW2-3912-09DEC01.htm
2. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2626738/COOMBS,%20BASIL%20EDWARD
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hermes_%2895%29
4. http://www.maplandia.com/senegal/dakar/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Dec-2017 14:58 | Laurent Rizzotti | Added |
| 15-Mar-2018 22:45 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source] |
| 17-Sep-2019 19:24 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 17-Dec-2019 19:15 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
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