CRASHSITEORKNEY
  • Home
  • About Us
  • ORKNEY
    • UNDERWATER SITES >
      • Wildcat JV751 Scapa Flow
      • Avenger JZ159 Scapa Flow
      • Vickers Warwick BV417
      • Fairey Barracuda II DP983
      • Airspeed Oxford BG555
      • MYSTERY AIRCRAFT IN SCAPA FLOW
      • Buccaneer XW540
      • The mystery of Wellesley K7734
      • Kirkwall Spitfire BL253
      • Kirkwall Wildcat JV526
      • Kirkwall Tarpon (Avenger) FN899
      • ORKNEY LOST AT SEA
      • ORKNEY INLAND WATER SITES
    • ORKNEY PROJECTS >
      • Seafire's MB362 & MB369
      • Martlets FN284 & FN288
      • Spitfire X4108
      • Spitfire TB914
      • Miles Martinet MS617?
      • B 24H Liberator 42-50331
    • EARLY HISTORY
    • HISTORY OF CIVIL AVIATION
    • ORKNEY LAND SITES
    • ORKNEY HIGH GROUND
    • ORKNEY AIRFIELDS
    • CALDALE CAMP & AIRSHIPS
    • THE BLACK BUILDING
    • BARRAGE BALLOON SITES
    • COASTAL DEFENCE BATTERIES & SEARCHLIGHTS
    • FALCOETTE TARGET DRONE
  • SHETLAND
    • SHETLAND HIGH GROUND SITES
    • Shetland Underwater Aircraft Crash Sites
    • SHETLAND LAND CRASH SITES
  • FAIR ISLE
    • Radar and Anti Aircraft defences on Fair Isle
  • ORKNEY & SHETLAND AVIATION MEMORIALS & MONUMENTS
  • BOOKS
  • LINKS
Fairey Barracuda II DP983 
Picture
Picture
Fairey Barracuda II Spec
​

Crew:              3
Length:         12.12 m
Height:           4.6 m
Wingspan:         14.99 m
Wing area:         4.09 m2
Empty Weight:     4241 kg
Max Weight:       6396 kg
                                 Engine:           1 x Rolls-Royce Merlin 32, 1223kW

Armament:         2 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 1 x 735kg torpedo or 726kg of bombs
​The Barracuda DP983  coded `5L` from 830 Sqdn took from Hatston in 80 mph gale on 20/04/1944 to embark HMS Furious but hit balloon cable while in circuit and waiting for permission to land. Dispite being told all balloons were down four were still up anchored in the middle of Scapa Flow. The aircraft ditched in Scapa Flow from a height of 400 ft . The 3 Crew, Pilot Sub/lt R ''Dickie''.D.Williams, RNZNVR his Observer Sub/Lt Robert ''Bob'' Button RNVR and a Telegraphist Air Gunner (TAG) L.A  Allan H Thomson, all escaped and were picked up by a 40 ft pinnace sent from HMS Rodney which at the time was anchored off the south end of Cava and witnessed the incident. 
Aircraft sank and was deemed Cat.Z. Write off.
Picture
HMS Furious
Picture
​Above. WW2 chart showing defences on Scapa Flow(UKHO) including sites of barrage balloons. Allan Thomson T.A.G on Barracuda DP983  has been in touch and is convinced that the Barracuda hit one of the balloons to the NE of Cava. Local fishermen  talk of an aircraft in this part of Scapa Flow and it is hoped to conduct a side scan sonar survey soon. Mr Thomson also says he remembers another Barracuda, as yet unidentified, ditching in Scapa Flow.
Picture
​Above T.A.G  L.A. Allan H Thomson photo: A Thomson
Picture
​Painting ''Men of Tungston'' showing DP983 coded 5L  during the first wave of the attack on the German Battleship Tirpitz in Norway on 3rd April 1944. Photo: A Thomson.






​(c)  Copyright 2020. Aviation Research Group of Orkney & Shetland.
 
 
All rights reserved. Due to the immense amount of research that enabled us to build this site we would like to point out that all material on this website is owned by A.R.G.O.S  though photos are credited to their respective owners. Anyone wishing to use material for their own website or any other purpose are requested to contact us first expressing their wishes. Permission will usually be granted to none profit making ventures, i.e. websites for educational and/or historical purposes, though a link to this website and acknowledgement to the original owners of any photographs will usually be requested.     
 

Site powered by Weebly. Managed by SiteGround
  • Home
  • About Us
  • ORKNEY
    • UNDERWATER SITES >
      • Wildcat JV751 Scapa Flow
      • Avenger JZ159 Scapa Flow
      • Vickers Warwick BV417
      • Fairey Barracuda II DP983
      • Airspeed Oxford BG555
      • MYSTERY AIRCRAFT IN SCAPA FLOW
      • Buccaneer XW540
      • The mystery of Wellesley K7734
      • Kirkwall Spitfire BL253
      • Kirkwall Wildcat JV526
      • Kirkwall Tarpon (Avenger) FN899
      • ORKNEY LOST AT SEA
      • ORKNEY INLAND WATER SITES
    • ORKNEY PROJECTS >
      • Seafire's MB362 & MB369
      • Martlets FN284 & FN288
      • Spitfire X4108
      • Spitfire TB914
      • Miles Martinet MS617?
      • B 24H Liberator 42-50331
    • EARLY HISTORY
    • HISTORY OF CIVIL AVIATION
    • ORKNEY LAND SITES
    • ORKNEY HIGH GROUND
    • ORKNEY AIRFIELDS
    • CALDALE CAMP & AIRSHIPS
    • THE BLACK BUILDING
    • BARRAGE BALLOON SITES
    • COASTAL DEFENCE BATTERIES & SEARCHLIGHTS
    • FALCOETTE TARGET DRONE
  • SHETLAND
    • SHETLAND HIGH GROUND SITES
    • Shetland Underwater Aircraft Crash Sites
    • SHETLAND LAND CRASH SITES
  • FAIR ISLE
    • Radar and Anti Aircraft defences on Fair Isle
  • ORKNEY & SHETLAND AVIATION MEMORIALS & MONUMENTS
  • BOOKS
  • LINKS