Shetland Underwater Aircraft Crash Sites

HURRICANES P3255 & V7069 - 3 SQ -COLLISION OFF SUMBURGH 1/3/43

Based at Sumburgh in March 1941 were Hawker Hurricane MK1s of 3 Squadron RAF Fighter Command, this was an operational squadron but on this occasion on 1st March two of the Hurricanes had been out off Sumburgh Head engaged in a practice dogfight when a tragic accident occurred.

P/O Ian Eric Brennan flying V7069 was the senior pilot that day, and Sgt Joyce in P3255 was the pupil hoping to gain some fighter tactic experience. Out off the Head a number of manoevers had been carried out and all seem to go OK when suddenly the two aircraft collided and unable to recover P/O Brennan`s Hurricane plunged into the sea.

The other Hurricane, severely damaged and with its pilot Sgt Joyce badly shaken up managed to limp back to Sumburgh where he got down safely, alas his instructor P/O Brennan, aged 22 from Farnborough,Kent, was killed and his body never recovered.

WARWICK BV520 - 281 SQ. 17.11.44 WEST VOE,SHETLAND

The Warwick was returning from an ASR patrol when due to an engine failure he was attempting to land at Sumburgh, however he was not lined up for the runway on approach,he did another circuit in order to find alignment but got caught in a downdraught from Sumburgh Head, the pilot was unable to maintain correct height and speed on one engine and forced to ditch in West Voe,one crew member Sgt Roberts drowned,rest were saved.

CREW:

PILOT: F/O L.W.JENNER. RAF

F/O C.R.HYDE. RAAF.

F/O D.TEMPLE. RAF

F/S A.H.DIXON. RCAF

F/S E.ROBERTS. RAF

W/O H.C.MOFFAT.RAF

Sgt Eric Roberts headstone in Lerwick Cemetery. Photo:Dave Earl

FAIREY SWORDFISH L2794 - 821 SQ. 26/10/40 QUENDALE BAY,SHETLAND.

This aircraft took off from Hatston,Kirkwall (HMS Sparrowhawk) on a routine patrol when engine trouble occurred the pilot landed at Sumburgh to let the engine cool,it took off a while later for home but a few minutes later suffered engine failure and dived into the Bay of Quendale,Shetland, killing all 3 crew.

Above: A Swordfish with wings folded seen here next to an accumulator at Hatston in WWII. Photo: ARGOS Archives Via William Shearer.

The pilot Sub/Lt Peter Bernard Laycock aged 19 from Margam, Port Talbot went down with the aircraft and was never found, he is commemorated on the Lee On Solent memorial. The other two crew Midshipman Richard Theodore Chambers aged 19 from Coventry, and Naval Airman 1st class Basil Frederick Aubrey Brewster aged 20 from Paignton, Devon were recovered and buried in Lerwick Cemetery, Shetland with full military honours.

NA1c Brewster (Photo: Via TAG Assn)

This aircraft ditched off Vaila Island close to the west Shetland mainland on 8/11/1942 after engine problems, four of the crew clambered out into the dinghy but Sgt Smith went down with the aircraft and was never recovered, Sgt McGrath`s body was later washed ashore and is was buried in Wick Cemetery. The other crew came ashore in the dinghy.

CREW:

P/O D Fraser RCAF
Sgt Thompson
F/Sgt Davies
Sgt F V Smith
Sgt J P McGrath RCAF
Sgt Hutchinson

Short Sunderland N9046 204 Squadron - Sullom Voe. 11/12/1940.

At 13.12 hours this Sunderland flying boat of 204 Squadron Coastal Command which was coded KG-F suddenly caught fire at moorings and was completely gutted causing Cat.E. damage. Cause as yet not known, it is believed the aircraft is still in Sullom Voe.

Catalina JX581 210 Squadron - Sullom Voe. 05/05/1944.

Catalina JX581 had been on a routine bombing exercise and was returning to Sullom Voe, however the aircraft came in too fast, over ran the landing area ,struck some rocks off Sella Ness and with a badly damaged hull eventually sank. It is believed at low tide some large parts of the aircraft can still be seen.

We visited the scene in 2007 and some small pieces of aircraft alloy were found on the shore, though as no part numbers were found it was impossible to say if these were from the Catalina or a number of aircraft that have ended up in the Voe.

Pilot: F/O N.Wheatley. + 7 Crew all OK.

Top : Small pieces of aircraft aluminium at Sullom Voe, possibly from the Catalina and Above: Geoff Bland with Sella Ness behind. Photos: Dave Earl.

Saro London L7042 - 201 Squadron - Lerwick Harbour 22/11/39

The London flying boat of 201 squadron built by Saunders & Roe, was moored in Lerwick harbour undergoing engine maintenance on 22 November when Shetland recieved its first air raid of the war, six Heinkel He 111s began to circle the town of Lerwick, but this early in the war towns and cities were spared and only military targets were sought, the London was chosen as an easy target but despite a number of bombs being dropped without and damage, the aircraft was straffed with machine gun fire and imediately burst into flames, fortunately the crew managed to swim clear and were picked up by fishing boats. The aircraft eventually sank but it is not known if anything still remains as these waters are often dredged to safeguard shipping.

Deepwater and Offshore sites

Mosquito DD618 307 Polish) Sq. 20/12/1943. Off Sumburgh Head.

Motto: `Eagle Owls`

307 Polish squadron who although in the main were based at RAF Drem.Lothian with Mosquito aircraft, had flown a detachment of 3 aircraft up to Sumburgh on 16 November 1943, mainly for training purposes, but the squadron had struck lucky here when a He-177 was shot down NE of Shetland on the 22 Nov, then another, e/a this time a Ju88 was shot down into the sea on the 26th.

Training continued throughout the Months of November and December despite the successes, bad luck finally caught up with the squadron when F/Lt Jan Pfeiffer and his Navigator P/O Kazimierz Kesicki crashed into the sea off Sumburgh Head light at 12.04 hrs while returning to the airfield following a non-op training flight in DD618.

Above left: Pilot F/Lt Jan Piotr Pfeiffer. Above right : Navigator P/O Kazimierz Kesicki. Photo: Piotrek Biedrzycki.

A High Speed Launch was sent quickly to the scene but the crew had both been killed, P/O Kesicki`s body was recovered along with parts of the aircraft but there was no sign of the pilot F/Lt Pfeiffer and the search had to eventually be called off.

F/Lt Pfeiffer was a Battle of Britain pilot and had served with both 32 & 257 Squadrons during the conflict, and is remembered by British Fighter Ace Pete Brothers while flying Hurricanes with 32 squadron.

The Navigator F/Lt Kesicki was buried alongside other Polish airmen in Edinburgh (Corstorphine Hill) Cemetery, in joint grave 1376, Section D.

Above: Grave of F/Lt Kesicki and the cemetery. Photos: Peter Dobson.

The cause of the crash was not fully established but the form 1180 accident summary says " Aircraft seen to dive into sea, presumed engine failure" and goes on to remark about "A fresh wind round the hills made one engine insufficient to control the aircraft" the investigation concludes by saying "Cause of E/F Unknown".

Blenheim IV T1949 404 (RCAF) Sq 06/10/1942 Off Lady`s Holm

On 6th October 1942 Blenheim T1949 took off from Sumburgh for a homing exercise with a Royal Navy destroyer, it was seen to be climbing into the teeth of a westerly gale when it was said by some that the port engine failed. It is thought the aircraft then stalled and at approx 8.01 hrs the Blenheim crashed into the sea near Lady`s Holm, a skerry to the west of Sumburgh, with the 3 crew killed .

From the majority of witnesses that came forward at a board of inquiry, it is still not certain for sure what went wrong, certainly smoke was omitted from the exhaust and the aircraft would not climb, but in retrospect this could according to the report have been attributed to "Faulty manipulation or mechanical failure of the controls" there was some speculation that sand may have got into the carburettors with the aircraft being parked close to the beach ,but of course this is only speculation , though whatever the cause it cost 3 young lives.

Of the three crew only two were recovered, Sgt Reginald George Tinsley of Hadley who was buried in Barnet (Christ Church) Burial Ground,and W/O John H.Patterson a native of Chicago,Illinois, was buried in Lerwick Cemetery. Sadly Sgt Thomas F.McCarthy of West Hartlepool,Co.Durham has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede memorial.
Crew:

Pilot: W/O J.H.Patterson. RCAF.

Nav: Sgt R.G.Tinsley. RAFVR.

W/AG: Sgt T.F.McCarthy. RAFVR.

Sgt Reg Tinsley - Photo: Debra Meek. Sgt T.F.McCarthy.

Pilot P/O J.H.Patterson`s grave (Centre) in Lerwick Cemetery. Photo: Emily Henry.

Bristol Beaufighter MK X 144 Sq NT827 Off Sumburgh. 29/01/1945.

This aircraft coded PL-J of 144 Squadron had been on an anti-shipping strike off the Norwgian Coast and was returning to its base in Scotland when an engine failed, following two attempts to land at Sumburgh, the pilot decided conditions were not good and there was a risk of damage to buildings or personal injury from an overshoot, so he decided,having sent out a distress signal to ditch in the sea which he did, some 5 miles SW of Sumburgh.

The pilot hit his head on ditching and was knocked out, the aircraft quickly sank but fortunately he recovered underwater, was able to free himself, swam to the surface and clamber into the dinghy. A Lindholme dinghy was also dropped but overturned ,however the crew climbed on to this until they were picked up by a rowing boat.

Pilot: F/Sgt L.A.Holland.

Obs: F/Sgt J.McMillan.

Barracuda DP927 820 Sq. 9/12/1943. Off Ramma Stacks,Shetland.

The Barracuda from HMS Furious had been on a dive bombing exercise with live ordnance out in the North Atlantic, When at a height of approx 3,000ft asl it suddenly burst into flames and was seen to dive into the sea off Ramma Stacks, NE of Point of Fethaland on the Shetland Mainland, all 3 crew were killed.

The reason for this accident is still unclear,though engine fire perhaps due to a fuel leak could be a possibility,it is highly unlikely the true cause will ever be found.

The body of the pilot was recovered and he is buried in Lerwick Cemetery,Shetland,but the other two crew were never found and are commemorated on the Lee On Solent memorial.

Pilot:   Sub/Lt   R.D.West.

Obs:   Sub/Lt   J.Brown.

TAG:  L/A   E.W.Kelly.

Ju-88D-5 1(F)/120 Off Sumburgh Head. 24/03/1943

This Junkers Ju-88 Werk No. 430205 was flying from Stavanger/Sola in Norway heading for the Shetland Isles when at 17.54 hrs it was intercepted by Spitfires from 234 squadron and shot down in the sea 5 miles West of Sumburgh Head by Sgt Lane, the aircraft sank and there were no survivors and all were listed as missing presumed killed. 234 Squadron were based at Grimsetter (Kirkwall) but had a detachment of aircraft at Sumburgh.

Crew of the Ju-88.

Obfw F.Humbs.

Oblt S.Otternberg.

Obfw F.Raasch.

Uffz G.Bugram.

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