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| Date: | Thursday 18 January 1945 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Short Sunderland III |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Air Force - RAF |
| Registration: | ML831 + 2 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Other |
| Location: | Angle Bay, Pembrokeshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | - |
| - |
Damaged by drifting ship in gale and blown ashore.
Aircraft: Short Sunderland mk.III ML771 ‘UT-G’.
Short Sunderland mk.III Ml774 ‘UT-H’.
Short Sunderland mk.III ML83 ‘UT-F’.
.
Squadron: 461 (Australian) RAF.
From: RAF Pembroke Dock.
Mission: At moorings.
Details:
January 1945 saw heavy snow on the West of Wales. It was the first snow seen by most of the Australian servicemen and women, this even made an entry in the squadron records.
“The heavy snowfall was greatly appreciated by Australian personnel, many of whom saw for the first time snow lying in any depth, and snowballing, sledging, etc were carried on with enthusiasm in the vicinity of the station. On one occasion a battle royal developed between Australian and Canadian officers among the trees of the main avenue on the Station.”
The squadron only conducted 36 sorties during the month, the lowest to date, largely due to the weather conditions. On the Thursday the 18th a strong gale covered the region, grounding the Sunderland’s, which lay at their moorings.
Squadron records.
“ACCIDENTS:
Three squadron aircraft were lost in January, in the course of the gale on the afternoon and night of the 18th. These were ML771 (G), ML774 (F), and ML831 (H). No blame attaches the squadron of Station personnel in any of these cases. Both ‘H’ and ‘F’ were driven from their moorings by a large merchant vessel which had dragged its anchor, ‘F’ sank shortly afterwards, ‘H’ was driven ashore on rocks and broke up. Unfortunately, it was impossible to salvage anything of either aircraft. ‘G’ also was broken from its moorings, apparently by a large bulk of timber, and drifted ashore, fortunately on a mud bank. Whilst here, it was boarded by Wing Commander J.M. Hampshire DFC (Aus 2561), F/Lt G.R.T. Bennett (Aus 401885), both of 461 squadron – S/Ldr Read (Station Armament Officer), F/Lt Wichell (Engineer Officer), and S/Sgt Granger (I/C Maintenance 8461- Salvaging Echelon), and the outer engines were started up and the aircraft brought off the mud, after which it was ‘sailed’ astern till it could be moored to a buoy. This was done by allowing the aircraft to drift before the wind and steering it by manipulating the engines. After some time at the buoy, the mooring parted, and w/Cdr Hampshire once more ‘sailed’ up the Haven to a position where the aircraft could be eased ashore where the engines and much of the equipment was salvaged, the aircraft itself eventually towed off and brought up the slipway. When the aircraft was boarded, S/Ldr Read removed the pistols and detonators from the depth charges and threw them overboard. Although the damage to this aircraft was such as to necessitate its transfer to No.43 Group, the efforts of the squadron Commander and the skeleton crew brought about the recovery of all the valuable equipment and will enable the hull to be repaired, structural damage being mainly the destruction of one float and the breaking off from the port mainplane of several feet of its length.”
ML774 ‘UT-H’.
This Sunderland was built by Shorts, Rochester, and assigned to 461 Squadron. The aircraft was hit by a ship in a gale and sunk in Angle Bay.
ML831 ‘UT-F’.
Assigned to 461 squadron on the 6th of November 1944.
Struk by drifting ship and driven ashore at Angle Bay where it broke up.
ML771 ‘UT-G’.
Assigned to 461 squadron on the 28th of May 1944. Broke moorings twice during a storm and eventually beached, to 43 Group for repairs.
Crew:
Unmanned.
Buried:
N/A.
Wreckage:
I have found some aluminium at Angle Bay, but it is impossible to recognise from what aircraft it has originated from due to the number of aircraft which has ended their days within this bay.
Sources:
Air-Britain Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
www.adf-serials.com.au
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 04-Jan-2025 15:03 | Davies 62 | Updated [Registration, Source, Narrative, ] |
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