Broome's Flying boat wrecks (3/3/42)
Jun 26, 2017 23:44:00 GMT 12
Dave Homewood, flyinkiwi, and 4 more like this
Post by planecrazy on Jun 26, 2017 23:44:00 GMT 12
Please excuse me from getting a bit carried away and turning this into
a bit of a once upon a time type story. This little “quest in the west” has
been a bit of a dream come true for me as I have been interested in
flying boat stories wherever they may have occurred for many years.
My wife and I have been interested in visiting Australia’s isolated north
western corner for many years. The opportunity finally arose and after
the long flight from Sydney via Perth we found ourselves in the Broome.
The small remote coastal town made many people wealthy on the back
of the pearling industry, which still exists today. I am a fan of history and
Broome perhaps holds the story of Australia’s most dramatic and tragic
aviation related events.
In the early days of WW II the Japanese advanced their way south through
Asia towards the island nation, many europeans escaped via whatever means
available. An obvious method of escape by air, fights to Perth often staged
via Broome with an airstrip and the protected waters of Roebuck Bay for
flying boats.
A memorial and Japanese gate looking south out over Roebuck Bay.
On the morning of 3/3/42 fifteen flying boats were moored in Roebuck Bay,
five Dornier D024s, eight Catalinas and two Empire Class flying boats.
At around 9.30am nine Mitsubishi A6M.2 Zero fighters of the 3rd Kokutai
(Aircraft Group) arrived over Broome. All fifteen flying boats as well as a
number of land planes and other installations where destroyed. It is believed
around 80 people where also killed or lost at sea, the exact number to this
day has not been verified.
Broome Museum collection.
The local museum has a number of artefacts and photos from the event.
A water colour of a sinking Dornier with a Pearl lugger taking off passengers.
Broome Museum collection.
Dornier engine.
The remains of a Bristol Peagasus from one of the Empire Class boats.
We timed our visit to coincide with a lowish tide, .94m at 5.45pm. The tides
in the area can be some the most dramatic on the planet, on 25/6/17 the
variance was from .94m to 9.45m! I had made some local enquiries and
was told the tide wouldn’t get low enough to view the wrecks at the time
of my visit. In retrospect I believe to locals discourage walking out to the
wrecks so as people don’t get caught out by the rapidly moving water!
Armed with a bit of determination and my trusty Canon I set off across
the mud flats to seek a flying boat wreck!
Firstly came across some man made structure which didn’t look like a flying
boat, correctly deduced it was part of the old jetty which no longer exists.
It was quite a hike through sticky mud to the waters edge, had to wade in
places through at times knee deep water. I bumped into a couple of airline
pilots who where also pretty keen so we teamed up. Initially heading west
towards the setting sun, with both the light fading and the tide about to turn
things were’t looking too promising. Gave up on the western search retraced
my steps east, then off in the distance I spotted a dark line! On getting closer
I discovered my quest in the west, obvious remains of a wrecked aeroplane.
This the remains of RAF Catalina FV-N, looking north west towards the coast.
In the foreground the starboard engine, the exhaust looking from underneath
the rest of the engine buried in the mud.
Standing in front of the port engine, you can see very clearly where the front
turret would sit towards the left front of the image.
A little mystery, how did the starboard engine end up off to the port side?
A number of reasons I guess, maybe it exploded and was thrown that way
or perhaps the tidal movement had moved the fuselage?
Sometimes you just get lucky, there are a couple of hovercraft that do tours out
over the mud flats, right when I was about to leave this loverly lass showed up,
off to the right you can just see some wreckage of another flying boat.
Even luckier, not sure if the pilot/skipper put her in front of me I am grateful
if he did! Again off in the distance to the right you can see another wreck.
Now sorry about the following but I simple can’t help myself. “A wrecked
flying boat with a boat that flies.”
An informative PDF with information about the wrecks.
www.abc.net.au/reslib/201202/r902141_9176580.pdf
a bit of a once upon a time type story. This little “quest in the west” has
been a bit of a dream come true for me as I have been interested in
flying boat stories wherever they may have occurred for many years.
My wife and I have been interested in visiting Australia’s isolated north
western corner for many years. The opportunity finally arose and after
the long flight from Sydney via Perth we found ourselves in the Broome.
The small remote coastal town made many people wealthy on the back
of the pearling industry, which still exists today. I am a fan of history and
Broome perhaps holds the story of Australia’s most dramatic and tragic
aviation related events.
In the early days of WW II the Japanese advanced their way south through
Asia towards the island nation, many europeans escaped via whatever means
available. An obvious method of escape by air, fights to Perth often staged
via Broome with an airstrip and the protected waters of Roebuck Bay for
flying boats.
A memorial and Japanese gate looking south out over Roebuck Bay.
On the morning of 3/3/42 fifteen flying boats were moored in Roebuck Bay,
five Dornier D024s, eight Catalinas and two Empire Class flying boats.
At around 9.30am nine Mitsubishi A6M.2 Zero fighters of the 3rd Kokutai
(Aircraft Group) arrived over Broome. All fifteen flying boats as well as a
number of land planes and other installations where destroyed. It is believed
around 80 people where also killed or lost at sea, the exact number to this
day has not been verified.
Broome Museum collection.
The local museum has a number of artefacts and photos from the event.
A water colour of a sinking Dornier with a Pearl lugger taking off passengers.
Broome Museum collection.
Dornier engine.
The remains of a Bristol Peagasus from one of the Empire Class boats.
We timed our visit to coincide with a lowish tide, .94m at 5.45pm. The tides
in the area can be some the most dramatic on the planet, on 25/6/17 the
variance was from .94m to 9.45m! I had made some local enquiries and
was told the tide wouldn’t get low enough to view the wrecks at the time
of my visit. In retrospect I believe to locals discourage walking out to the
wrecks so as people don’t get caught out by the rapidly moving water!
Armed with a bit of determination and my trusty Canon I set off across
the mud flats to seek a flying boat wreck!
Firstly came across some man made structure which didn’t look like a flying
boat, correctly deduced it was part of the old jetty which no longer exists.
It was quite a hike through sticky mud to the waters edge, had to wade in
places through at times knee deep water. I bumped into a couple of airline
pilots who where also pretty keen so we teamed up. Initially heading west
towards the setting sun, with both the light fading and the tide about to turn
things were’t looking too promising. Gave up on the western search retraced
my steps east, then off in the distance I spotted a dark line! On getting closer
I discovered my quest in the west, obvious remains of a wrecked aeroplane.
This the remains of RAF Catalina FV-N, looking north west towards the coast.
In the foreground the starboard engine, the exhaust looking from underneath
the rest of the engine buried in the mud.
Standing in front of the port engine, you can see very clearly where the front
turret would sit towards the left front of the image.
A little mystery, how did the starboard engine end up off to the port side?
A number of reasons I guess, maybe it exploded and was thrown that way
or perhaps the tidal movement had moved the fuselage?
Sometimes you just get lucky, there are a couple of hovercraft that do tours out
over the mud flats, right when I was about to leave this loverly lass showed up,
off to the right you can just see some wreckage of another flying boat.
Even luckier, not sure if the pilot/skipper put her in front of me I am grateful
if he did! Again off in the distance to the right you can see another wreck.
Now sorry about the following but I simple can’t help myself. “A wrecked
flying boat with a boat that flies.”
An informative PDF with information about the wrecks.
www.abc.net.au/reslib/201202/r902141_9176580.pdf
