“DITCHED” IN THE ATLANTIC

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 8, 5 October 1943, Page 5

“DITCHED” IN THE ATLANTIC

Thrilling Experience WELLINGTON AIRMAN’S EPISODE

(Incredible are the experiences many Wellington men are having in combat zones on shore and afloat. One Wellington lad attached to the Fleet Air Arm, serving on an aircrtfft-carrier in the Atlantic some months ago, has communicated a. 'thrilling experience to his next-of-kin.

“On Tuesday last we had quite an experience,” he writes, “but fortunately suffered no injuries other than a couple of ibruised knees. I was carrying out a test flight from the ship with two passengers. It was a lovely evening and everything was going smoothly when iny engine cut out. I had been doing a dummy deck landing approach, and had motored down to within a few hundred f eet of the sea, when I opened my throttle to return to the carrier; blit the fates decided differently (there was no response). Being so near sea level there 'was nothing I could do in the short space of time, other than ditch the aircraft. . “Never having done anything like this before, I had to do some quick thinking as to the safest method. In a few seconds we landed on the sea, and at once the water surged into the cockpit up to my neck. I found myself instantly releasing my harness and parachute. After that I climbed on to the wing, saw the other two fellows safe and swimming, so decided to abandon my parachute and swim to the dinghy. It was on my way there that I saw the last of my aircraft, the mil sticking Bft or 10ft. out of the water, and sinking slowly down- 0 were fortunate that the automatic dinghy worked. We were able to sit in it till we were picked up later in the evening by a M.L. boat and taken back to the carrier. To attract attention in the dark we had. quite a fireworks display, and spent an amusing time examining .the rations — canned water (more precious than any food) and small tablets of chocolate. “At this time I remembered that when doing our operational flying training over a year ago the doctor, a huge fat fellow, by tlie way, told us it was possible to live as. long as 60 and <0 days on water alone (provided, of course, you did not die of exposure), so should any of the class have the misfortune to go ‘boating’ on the Atlantic, they should remember that. My friend reckoned at the time that the doctor might last bU days, but he did not fancy his own chances. There was no court of inquiry, as it was just one of those unpredictable things. All I can say is that I am glad it didn’t happen when on convoy. After being brought on board we were ushered, straight to the sick bay, in spite of my protests to the surgeon-commander about mv being on duty that night. He would have none of it. That night I spent in the isolation ward silently cursing the electrically-heated blankets which they insisted I should get into. In a quarter of an hour all flying crews of the squadron had to fall in for dinghy drib, the result, presumably, of my episode.