Flying Visit To An Australian Aircraft-carrier

[Dave Homewood]

PRESS, 18 NOVEMBER 1959

Flying Visit To An Australian Aircraft-carrier

[By a Staff Reporter of "The Press"]

Drop in, said the invitation from the Royal Australian Navy, and see us aboard the aircraft-carrier, H.M.A.S. Melbourne, cruising somewhere off the coast of Canterbury. So yesterday a photographer and I dropped in and saw them from 1200 ft in one of the carrier’s anti-submarine Gannet turbo-props.

Passed fit several days ago to stand the sudden stop of landing and catapult take-off from the carrier, we reported at the control tower at the R.N.Z.A.F. station, Wigram, at 8.30 a.m. Two other passengers to fly out to the carrier reported at the same time. There were to be two Gannets with two passengers in each.

A Gannet peeled off from a formation after passing over the city and landed just after 9 a.m. The pilot told us why there was only one aircraft: a fault had “grounded” the other on the Melbourne.

This meant two passengers would fly straight away. The other two would have to wait for him to come back. A coin was tossed for first flight and we lost. Five hours later the second Gannet arrived. This time the pilot reported that all Gannets had been grounded until he took off because news of a fault in aircraft in Australia had been signalled to the carrier, and all machines aboard had to be checked. A little group of airmen stopped working to watch the pilot handing out Mae Wests, flying helmets, crash helmets and overalls.

Conditions Good
A message came from the control tower: “Conditions over the carrier are the same.” Conditions over Wigram airfield were good, too, as the Gannet taxied out on to the grass and made a short, chunky take-off. The pilot, a tall, red-haired Western Australian, said the carrier was about 30 miles out to sea, “I think.”

A Gannet carries its passengers in separate cockpits in line behind the pilot My cockpit was mostly filled with instruments and an altimeter showed 1200 ft as the plane crossed the causeway at McCormack’s Bay. The South Pacific was blue and calm, but there was no sign of the Melbourne. I checked the six sets of straps holding me in place. There were straps for a parachute and a dinghy and some just to hold me in the seat I looked at the sea and the sky, and a St Christopher medallion my wife gave me years ago. Suddenly a voice crackled over - the inter-com: “We arrive at the carrier in seven minutes.”

Carrier Sighted
Fluffy, puff-ball clouds slid under the aircraft and then suddenly over to the left there was a tiny aircraft-carrier sweeping in a wide circle. The Gannet circled, glowed and dropped sharply lifting me off the seat as far as the straps would go. About here I looked at the St. Christopher again. I thought maybe I would hold it between my teeth then thought it would go down like a giant asprin if the plane landed with a jolt! Suddenly a helicopter passed on our left going backwards; there was a slight bump; the Gannet’s engines cut; there was a mist of faces and red and yellow shirts to the right and we were down.

The deck of the carrier felt so good that it took me 10 minutes to realise that it was not dry land and I had to get back off again. A naval officer in blue battledress and beret (“I’m the press liaison officer. Call me Bob”) took me up to the carrier’s bridge to meet Rear-Admiral G. G. O. Gatacre.

He apologised for the delay and talked about the bad weather the carrier had seen since being in New Zealand waters and how the pilots commented on the scenery. “From out here the coastline looks like Korea,” he said. The admiral said that during flying operations on passage the R.A.N. had made its 10,000th carrier landing and only once had any aircraft been damaged beyond repair. Bob took us aft to show us the marks made by the plane that did not quite make it.

Sea Venom Lands
A Sea Venom shrilled overhead seeking permission to land. A loudspeaker barked, the helicopter (called “The Chopper” by the Navy men) took off for standby duty from where it had been resting aft. During all landings and takeoffs the helicopter hovers alongside in case any aircraft crashes into the sea.

Three fire-suit men in asbestos armour stood amidships as the Sea Venom circled for its landing and deck crewmen in their identifying skull-caps and shirts, some red, some yellow, chatted together. Arrestor wires lifted into place, stringing in six lines across the aft end of the carrier’s angled deck.

Steadying itself in the landing aid mirror, the Sea Venom screamed on to the carrier; its arrester hook caught the third wire; it bounced slightly; burned a tyre mark on the deck and stood still. Below decks mechanics worked in the carrier’s giant hangars, not in the least concerned about what was going on above. Through an airlock door and across a passage aircrews sat in the briefing room —a long cabin with padded, high-backed seats that made it look like a theatrette.

Pin-up pictures on the walls no longer interested them. They jostled, joked and decried the Royal Australian Navy.

Preparing For Take-off
From the loudspeaker came the instruction to position the Gannets on the deck ready for takeoff and for us to be ready to leave. , , . About five deck men helped me climb into the Gannet. Again I was buckled in. There were instructions about using the parachute and dinghy (“But you won’t want them”). “The Chopper” was alongside again. The fire-suit men put their helmets back on. Deck directors in their yellow skullcaps bustled around and we were on to the steam catapult ready for take-off.

Piloting the Gannet back was Eric (Dinger) Bell—a friendly New South Welshman. His voice came through my headset earphones: “There’ll be a jolt any moment now, but it won’t be much.” I closed my eyes and waited. We were still jiggling on the catapult. Suddenly came a muffled roar. My glasses pressed back against my face, my helmet tilted forward, a metal box toppled out of a rack on to my knees, there seemed to be a white blur in front of my eyes, and we were airborne.

The pilot said later that we took-off at 120 knots because of a favourable wind — that was 120 knots in about 100 ft. Circling the carrier in a tight turn the Gannet waited for a second plane to take off and then flew in formation back towards the misty coastline. New Brighton pier was passing 1500 ft below. A voice came over the radio: “This is my first airfield landing in 10 months. I hope it's not too bumpy.”

As the Gannets passed over Cathedral square the buses were just loading at the end of the working day. Christchurch looked pretty good, but Wigram airfield looked much better as the Gannets circled ready for landing. The other Gannet went in first. Our Gannet followed close behind. There was no bump and the taxi-run to the control tower was the smoothest part of the trip.

[planewriting]

The above report reminds of a story I wrote many years ago about the "once every school term" my standard 3 teacher took our class on. Following is part of the standard 3 report.

The third term outing really took the cake. In November, the class split in two and we boarded a bus and went into town. My group stopped first at Mechanics Bay which was the Flying Boats maintenance base serving both the Air Force and TEAL (Air New Zealand's forerunner). That was great fun climbing over a Sunderland, especially for me as my father, in 1944, was among the first to fly one to New Zealand. In the hangar was NZ4113, from which keel panels were missing. Years later I realised that this was the Sunderland that had (in)famously touched down on the runway during the official opening ceremony of Wellington International Airport, at Rongotai, over Labour Weekend.
When hunger pangs took over, we reboarded the bus and went up the hill for an early lunch at Parnell Rise Gardens overlooking the harbour. By pure chance, there was the Australian Aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne anchored. While eating, we were entertained by the ship's compliment of Gannet aircraft launching for a lunchtime formation flypast over the city. What a treat that was!
When lunch was over and the Gannets safely back on the carrier, my group visited the other venue. This time we went all over the American cruise liner Mariposa berthed at Princes Wharf. Such luxury, most if not all of us, had never seen before!

We visited cabins, the galley, the bridge, the ballroom, the engine room and the games room. After visiting the little room, we realised that now was the hour for us to say goodbye to our guides and return to school. No doubt many of her pupils looked back upon their year with her with pleasant memories.

I certainly did! In summary, in the first term we had been to nearby Mt Albert Railway Station and visited the signal box to watched the steam trains. In the 2nd term we went to the Auckland Town Hall and watched and listen to John Hopkins conducting there for the first time.

[mcmaster]

Great article. Really conveys what a trip to a carrier would be like for a civie, probabaly one of those things you'd remember all your life. That and Gannets are pretty amazing aircraft, only when you see them in the flesh you realise how big they were and wonder how there is enough power from those smallish contra props.

[shorty]

Sept 24, 2021 8:31:55 GMT 12 planewriting said:

The above report reminds of a story I wrote many years ago about the "once every school term" my standard 3 teacher took our class on. Following is part of the standard 3 report.

The third term outing really took the cake. In November, the class split in two and we boarded a bus and went into town. My group stopped first at Mechanics Bay which was the Flying Boats maintenance base serving both the Air Force and TEAL (Air New Zealand's forerunner). That was great fun climbing over a Sunderland, especially for me as my father, in 1944, was among the first to fly one to New Zealand. In the hangar was NZ4113, from which keel panels were missing. Years later I realised that this was the Sunderland that had (in)famously touched down on the runway during the official opening ceremony of Wellington International Airport, at Rongotai, over Labour Weekend.
When hunger pangs took over, we reboarded the bus and went up the hill for an early lunch at Parnell Rise Gardens overlooking the harbour. By pure chance, there was the Australian Aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne anchored. While eating, we were entertained by the ship's compliment of Gannet aircraft launching for a lunchtime formation flypast over the city. What a treat that was!
When lunch was over and the Gannets safely back on the carrier, my group visited the other venue. This time we went all over the American cruise liner Mariposa berthed at Princes Wharf. Such luxury, most if not all of us, had never seen before!

We visited cabins, the galley, the bridge, the ballroom, the engine room and the games room. After visiting the little room, we realised that now was the hour for us to say goodbye to our guides and return to school. No doubt many of her pupils looked back upon their year with her with pleasant memories.

I certainly did! In summary, in the first term we had been to nearby Mt Albert Railway Station and visited the signal box to watched the steam trains. In the 2nd term we went to the Auckland Town Hall and watched and listen to John Hopkins conducting there for the first time.

What school did you go to (and what dates)? I'm curious with Mt albert station being nearby.

[planewriting]

Hi Shorty. I as at Gladstone Primary School for just two years (1959 and 1960). The teacher was Mrs Jacobsen. The following year I had John Martin who loved making balsa wood aeroplanes. He actually got everybody (including the girls) in my class to make one. When finished we invited all our parents to witness a flying competition entered by all of us. The vast majority had at least one parent present. He was "aeroplane mad" and I recall him saying how one of his best friends had perished on a C-47 (NZ3526) I don't know who it was. You will appreciate that aircraft to and from Whenuapai would track over the school. Armed with one of NAC's graphic timetables, I took it to school and he pinned it to the wall. The class tracked every flight going over that day establishing where from or going to, on time, running late etc. The two years there were great!

[shorty]

Thanks for that info, I was at Mt Albert Primary , started there in 1951 (Gawd that makes me old!),later transferred to Grey Lynn Primary. When I got to intermediate my teacher was Wally Read who was in the Air Force at Hobbie with Dad and was President of the NZMAA, had a big piece of a Carley float in his store room which was part of his balsa supply.

[eieio]

Form 5 ,teacher one Martin G Wilson crewed on Sunderlands , Often our English class became a war/Sunderland discussion , very relaxed, he was the only teacher to ask how I got on with School C results