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Flight Against the Bismarck by Philip West.
The Royal Navys week long chase of the formidable German battleship Bismarck
culminated in the foul evening weather of 26th May 1941. Despite the deck of HMS
Ark Royal pitching through 55 feet, S/Lt John Moffat was one of fifteen
Swordfish pilots who took off to attack Bismarck. After 90 minutes of arduous
and turbulent flying the Swordfish found their quarry and dived through the
intense anti-aircraft fire to drop their torpedoes. One of these hit and jammed
Bismarcks rudder and condemned the battleship to sail in slow circles. The Royal
Navys own capital ships then closed in and pounded Bismarck into a burning
wreck. |
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Flight Against the Bismarck by Philip West
- The Signatures
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 | Lieutenant Commander John William Jock Moffat RN
John Moffat was born in Kelso in 1919 and at the outbreak of WWII, was sent to Sydenham, Belfast where a training school, set up by Short Brothers, was based. John learnt to fly in a Miles Magister. During 1939, he was sent to No.1 Flying Training School at Netheravon and here he was taught to fly advanced open-cockpit aircraft such as Hawker Hinds and Audaxes. Commissioned into the RNVR as a sub-lieutenant he was moved to Eastlee (now Southampton Airport) to the Naval Fighter School, learning fighter techniques in Blackburn Skuas and Rocs and the well-known Gloster Gladiator. In 1940, John was moved to Sanderling, the Royal Naval air station at Abbotsinch (now known as Glasgow Airport). In 1941, on board HMS Ark Royal stationed at Gibraltar, they were ordered to assist in the hunt for Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. The aircraft headed first to HMS Sheffield who gave them signals by Aldis Lamp on the position of the Bismarck. John Moffat served on HMS Ark Royal, HMS Argus, HMS Furious and HMS Formidable, and served with 759 Sqn, 818 Sqn, 820 Sqn and 824 Sqn.
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Commander Sidney Hal Jim Suthers DSC DFC RN
Joined the Air Branch of the Royal Navy in January 1939 and gained his pilot’s wings in July 1940. Joined 824 Naval Air Squadron operating Swordfish from HMS Eagle in January 1941. Operations in Red Sea, Indian Ocean, South Atlantic and Mediterranean until September 1942. Instructional duties thereafter until the end of World War II. Post war he converted to helicopters commanding 705 and 848 (Malaya) Naval Air Squadrons.
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Sub Lieut Bruce Vibert
Volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm in May 1941 and helped to form 842 Squadron, the Royal Navy’s last to be formed with the Fairey Swordfish in March 1943. Working mainly from the escort carrier HMS Fencer during the squadron’s two-year existence, the role was anti-submarine, ranging from the occupation of the Azores to North Russia. Protection to the Home Fleet was also given during two operations against “Tirpitz”, sheltering in Northern Norway. The Squadron finally came under Coastal Command to work the Western Approaches and English Channel. It achieved several successes against the U-Boats. He later served in the Pacific as a deck landing control officer before, post war, joining the RCN and there becoming a helicopter pilot. Today he supports the RNHF as a speaker about the Swordfish.
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 | Lieut (A) N C Gillis RNVR.
Volunteered for training as a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm in 1940. After training he was posted to join HMS Indomitable and sent to the Far East. The posting did not materialise and after some months in Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and Nairobi, Kenya, joined 810 Squadron in HMS Illustrious. 810 was a Swordfish squadron and remained so until HMS Illustrious returned to UK. The squadron then reformed with Barracuda aircraft and rejoined the Illustrious. After a short spell with the Home Fleet the Illustrious was despatched to serve with the Mediterranean Fleet, subsequently returning to the Home Fleet. 810 Squadron served in the ship during this time and was retained in the ship when she retuned to the Eastern Fleet and was actively engaged in the Burma campaign. During joint operations with the US carrier Saratoga, Lt Gillis was mentioned in Despatches during the operation at Sabang in Malaysia. Having overspent his time in an operational squadron he was returned to UK where he served as Dive-Bombing Instructor at RNAS Crail, then converted onto twin-engine aircraft and flew in a Mosquito squadron until demobilised in 1946.
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 | Sub Lieut (A) Stanley T Brand RNVR
Although in a reserved occupation volunteered on his 18th birthday to train as pilot in the Fleet Air Arm. He flew open cockpit biplane Swordfish aircraft from Merchant Aircraft Carriers called "Macships". These were 8000 ton grain ships or oil tankers fitted with a flight deck, carrying their usual cargo and manned by a Merchant Navy Master and crew. They sailed in convoy back and forth across the North Atlantic in all the extreme weather conditions experiened on that ocean. The oil tankers lacked a hangar, so maintenance was carried out on open deck exposing the aircraft, ground crew and aircrew to the fury of the sea, ice and gales. By keeping U-boats submerged instead of allowing them free range on the surface, in 24 months only two merchant ships were sunk by the enemy in convoys protected by Macships. This was in spite of there being greater numbers and more efficient U-boats at sea in this period than at the time of our greatest losses in the Battle of the Atlantic.
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