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| Date: | Wednesday 16 October 1940 |
| Time: | morning |
| Type: | Blackburn Skua II |
| Owner/operator: | 801 Sqn FAA RN |
| Registration: | L2902 |
| MSN: | 7371/36 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Lake Vassaraträsk, Gallivare Gällivare Municipality, Norrbotten County -
 Sweden
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | HMS Furious |
| HMS Furious |
Blackburn Skua II L2902, operating with 801 Sqn. Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, from aircraft carrier HMS Furious, stationed off the Norwegian coast, was one of 3 skuas and 6 Swordfish aircraft launched to attack shipping in the Norwegian port of Tromsø Norway early morning 16th October 1940. During the attack, L2902 was hit by anti-aircraft fire and due to the severe weather conditions and with insufficient fuel to return to HMF Furious, was flown south into into Sweden where it force landed in Lake Vassaraträsk, Gallivare Gällivare Municipality, Norrbotten county, Lapland province, Sweden, 190 miles south of Tromsø. The two aircrew, Pilot, Lieutenant, Edward Graham Savage and Observer, Lieutenant, Harry Stanley Hayes survived and were interned in neutral Sweden.
Sources:
fn68_a05.pdf (wordpress.com)
Blackburn Skua (2) (valka.cz)
https://sjohistoriskasamfundet.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/fn68_a05.pdf Pages 201- 205
https://dingeraviation.net//skuaroc/norway.htm#:~:text=The%20Germans%20invaded%20Norway%20on,the%20K%C3%B6nigsberg%20in%20Bergen%20harbour.&text=On%20the%2012th%20of%20April,on%20shipping%20in%20Bergen%20harbour.
https://www.fleetairarmoa.org/news/on-this-day-16-october-1940
http://stonebooks.com/~bstone/archives/980404.shtml
https://www.forum-marinearchiv.de/smf/index.php?topic=3796.5;wap2
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Jan-2021 15:34 | Peter Clarke | Added |
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