DOWN ON SEA

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 February 1939, Page 6

DOWN ON SEA

BRITISH FLYING-BOAT PASSENGER’S EXPERIENCE. When the Imperial Airways flyingboat Calypso, which inaugurated the lid air mail to Australian and New Zealand in July, was 40 miles out over the English Channel and 20 minutes flying time away from Southampton,, she made a forced landing in bad weather. Homeward bound from South Africa, she had on board two' passengers and a crew of six. After tossing about in rough sea the flying-boat was towed 40 miles to Cherbourg, and towed into harbour like a. disabled liner. In charge of the Calypso was Captain Brown, who was placed in a dilemma in which every Empire flyingboat captain may find himself because of the primitive landing facilities on the route. He had flown 150 miles from St Nazaire when he met fog. Southampton then radioed him that he could not land there owing to fog, and Captain Brown knew he could not fly back to St Nagaire. By- the time he got back there it would have been dark and landing would have been impossible because of the lack of equipment. With 10 minutes of twilight left, he had to; descend on the sea.

The first intimation that the two passengers, Lieutenant-Colonel W. S. Brayne, of Kenya, and Mr K. T. Clarke, of Zanzibar, had of the forced landing was when the steward said “Gentlemen, would you like a whisky and soda at the company’s expense—and, by the way, the captain would like you to put on. your life belts. But there is no danger.”

Lieutenant-Colonel Brayne, in relating the experience, said: “Over Jersey we began to run into fog. We were forced down to 150 feet. It was halfpast five by the smoking room clock when the steward came aft and gave us the captain's message. “As we came down there was a big sea running, and I thought the captain could not bring us down without burying his ship in the waves. Going at a speed of about 80 miles an hour, we skimmed the top of the first wave, then the second then the third —like a flat stone thrown by a schoolboy—and gradually settled down. “Captain Brown handed over to his first officer and came into us as soon as he saw the boat was. safe. He sat down and reassured us, said we were in radio touch with ships and the shore, and would soon be picked up. He had descended because of the fog and very bad. weather reports from Southampton.

“We kept on our lifebelts, had a drink, and went to sleep. About two hours later our batteries gave out and the lights failed. That, finished the radio, too. We taxied about for another two hours. It became monotonous. Mr Clarke and I slept most of the time —nothing else to do. The steward woke us up occasionally to tell us how things were going. “A little after 10 o’clock the Swedish tanker Rigel came close and sent over a lifeboat. We had. to get out from the back door, and the tail wings kept plunging down, nearly sinking the boat and knocking out the men in it. Mr Clarke and I boarded the tanker safely. We pitied the Calypso’s captain and crew; they had to stay aboard while she pitched at the end of the tow-rope.” The Calypso can carry 15 passengers, a crew of five or six, and two tons of mail. She is capable of a speed of 200 miles an hour, and has four 800 potVer motors.