Fletcher 'bombs' illegal fishing boat.

[corsair67]

I recall reading/hearing somewhere a few years ago (mid-1980s) that a Fletcher pilot up in the North Island somewhere spotted a fishing boat illegally trawling close in-shore one day, so he flew out and 'bombed' them with a full load of Super!

I'm also sure that I'd read/heard that the pilot was given some award by MAF for his handiwork.

Does anyone know any more about this incident? Is it fact, or is it merely an Urban (Rural!) myth?

[turboNZ]

Wow, that's a cool story (hope it's true)...
At least the ack-ack would have been minimal....... ;D ;D

[kiwichappersyahooconz]

Corsair,
Growing up in Taranaki in the mid sixties I recall there was this story circulating that a Japaneese mother ship with its hatches open was given a good dusting of 'Super' by one of the local pilots. Alledgely he discovered a malfunction with his aircraft and as a safety precaution[?] headed off the coast a wee way to jettison his load of fertilizer. Myth or legend I don't know but I have set some relatives still iving in Taranaki of on a search for more information.

cheers
kiwichappers

[faafaalingalonga]

;D Yes it did happen
Also ask about the famous bombing of the circus elephants in Te Kuiti.

[Dave Homewood]

Please tell us more faafaalingalonga

[faafaalingalonga]

Did you know one the "Asplin" Corsairs sat for years in the driveway of a house just out of Cambridge on the Hamilton highway?
Who got that one? ;D

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, it was owned by the Walsh brothers who bought it not long after the war. It eventually anded up, what was left of it, with Ross Jowett at Ardmore. See my page on the Cambridge Corsair on my website here
www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Cambridges%20Corsair.htm

[faafaalingalonga]

Thanks Dave I used to ogle it as a kid when we drove past it ;D

[faafaalingalonga]

I also used to mess around in the remains of the P-40s on the Rukuhia field before they were removed for the new runway,and was at the opening when Frank(Bish?) taxyed the Corsair tail up down the runway.Quite a sight and sound!

[Dave Homewood]

An old thread brought bak from the dead...

Here's an article from NZ Wings dated May 1978

"Who Needs Jet Fighters?
The Harold Angel column in the NZ Herald recently carried a story "from deepest Taranaki" about a little private fisheries protection just before the Japanese fleet sailed into the setting sun.
According to the columnist, a topdressing pilot flying off a field near the coast noticed a Japanese boat fishing well inside even the three-mile limit. He returned to the strip, loaded up with fertiliser and headed back into the air.
A few minutes later, he was over the trawler and its crew were coughing their way through a hopper-load of manure. The ship lifted its nets and steamed huriedly out to sea.
Commented the columnist: It is not known whether the government fertiliser subsidy was claimed for the load."

Those were the days, eh!

[Dave Homewood]

Oh and I'd still like to know about the fert plane bombing the circus elephants if anyone knows more... :-)

[fletcherfu24]

Only written evidence I've seen is in the 'Topdressers'


and from Don Staffords excellent book 'Flying the Thermal Skies"


The elephants are mentioned in the Topdressers,Otto Gram,a Fletcher,a load of water,a circus parade down the main street of Te Kuiti....say no more.. ;D

[Dave Homewood]

Why the heck did Gram do that? Elephants could have stampeded and killed people. Was he charged?

[pa18]

Not Otto Gram in Te kuiti
Yes the fishing boat was Adastra
Anymore info and i'd have to kill ya

[skyhawkdon]

The following story was told to me by a retired Skyhawk pilot...

In the 70s during the height of the Cold War the Russians had several "trawlers" operating off the NZ coast (outside the 12 mile limit). They were festooned with radio antennas and the supposition was they were eave dropping on NZ radio telecommunications. One was regularly stationed off the coast near Himitangi where the NZ Post Office had a large aerial farm for inter island communications. The SOP for the Ohakea based fast jets was to beat up the ship(s) whenever the opportunity arose to remind them that we had an Air Force and could easily sink them if we wanted! Apparently the challenge was to blow the washing that was sometimes hanging from the ships railings over the side with the jet blast!

[sniff]

That sounds like an Iggy yarn, Don?

[skyhawkdon]

Correct first attempt Sniff! Must have been one of his favourite "war stories" ;D Can you tell us any stories about the Russian "trawlers" that opperated off the NZ coast? Uncle Dave used to tell me about them when I was a kid. He would have been on 1 Sqn with you about then. They did a lot of MAROPs in the Andover. We lived in Invercargill and they were often in there for a refuel or overnight (might have just been picking up a few sacks of oysters for the Mess too )

[Dave Homewood]

When the Andovers did maritime sorties, did they carry any specialist equipment for the purpose? Or was it all by eyeball?

[sniff]

Andover had an Echo-190 radar with ground mapping capability, so it was pretty good for picking up contacts to about 30 miles. That was dependant on weather and height of course. We used to do mostly coastal work, freeing up the P-3 for outer EEZ patrols. Andover also did supply drops to Rauol and Cambell Islands, but they were right at max range for a safe return to NZ, also trips to the Chathams. mmmmm.... Crayfish. Yum! ;D

Other than binoculars, not much role equipment.

Photography was fun. Taken from the rear door, unpressurised. With efflux from the turbine, we had to roll left as the target approached the wing to get the 'haze' out of frame, and of course the loadmaster (photographer) had to know where to point to shoot. So it was a very coordinated/uncoordinated process!

But we got there, and enjoyed whitebait, oysters, crayfish, police clubs, and....

[Dave Homewood]

Gosh those trips to the outer islands must have been long ones in the Andover.