WONZ 252 - Max Speedy's Navy Flying

[Dave Homewood]

The first WONZ Show of 2022 is now available. This is the third and likely final interview with Max Speedy. Born in Levin, New Zealand in 1944, Max moved with his family to Australia when he was five years old. He joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1962 on a course to be one of the first Observers trained to fly as crew in the new Westland Wessex 31A anti-submarine helicopters. He trained initially at HMAS Cerberus, before being attached to the Royal Navy’s Hal Far Observer School, at HMS Falcon, in Malta. There he being flying training in the Percival Sea Prince.

On completing that period of training and returning to Australia he joined No. 725 Squadron and got to grips with flying as an observer in the helicopters. He and his fellow trainees spent time onboard HMAS Watson and its anti-submarine sonar training school.

Max was then posted to No. 817 Squadron aboard carrier HMS Melbourne and undertook his first operational cruise to Singapore where the aircraft carrier worked alongside the Royal Navy in the region.

On returning to Australia, Max was preparing for the next cruise on Melbourne with the squadron in 1964 when, on the night before they were to sail, the carrier collided with HMAS Voyager and cut her in half. He and his fellow helicopter crews were heavily involved in the rescue efforts, which delayed the sailing till Melbourne was repaired. They then completed another operational tour in South-East Asia.

In 1965 Max underwent a course to become an observer in the Sea Venom, learning to use the air interception radar. At this time he was also accepted for pilot training, and was posted in 1967 to RAAF Point Cook to become a pilot.

He ended up flying as pilot back in the Wessex helicopter. But he was not on the Wessex for too long before he ended up being chosen to be the 2 i/c of the second RAN contingent to fly Hueys in Vietnam. Max talks a fair bit more about his Vietnam experiences with some great additional detail to compliment the excellent stuff from the previous episode, WONZ 251 Max Speedy’s Vietnam War.

Max talks about his career after Vietnam, spending three years in Britain attached to the Royal Navy on exchange, training new helicopter pilots with No. 705 Squadron RN at HMS Culdrose; and then a return to Australia and more flying of RAN Wessex 31B helicopters with No. 725 Squadron RAN. He was then posted to No. 723 Squadron RAN, serving on HMAS Sydney. He did a course learning to drive the naval ships, and ended up as Executive Officer aboard a destroyer HMAS Vampire. He talks about being the Equerry to HRH Prince Charles who was visiting Australia in late 1973, and he remembers working as part of the relief effort in Darwin after Tropical Cyclone Tracy destroyed the city on Christmas Eve 1974. And much more over a long RAN Fleet Air Arm career.

Today he lives on his farm and vineyard in rural Victoria, Australia, and he keeps his hand in flying as a gliding instructor.

Here is the episode's show page:
cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZShow/2022/01/wonz-252-max-speedys-navy-flying/

[Dave Homewood]

I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to record these interviews with Max. He is a member on the forum here and I first had contact with him when he emailed to ask me a question about gun sights in P-40's, which his father Ian Speedy had flown. It was only through subsequent email chats that I discovered he was himself a veteran and had flown in the Royal Australian Navy's Fleet Air Arm, including in Vietnam. I am thankful that I persuaded him to be interviewed, because the recordings are so interesting. Prior to this I had no idea that the RAN flew Hueys in Vietnam. And to have a Kiwi-born pilot who was involved was even better. I hope people are taking the time to listen to Max's episodes, they are terrific.

[mcmaster]

Terrific interview that, enjoyed muchly. Thanks to you and Max. Shame Max missed the A4 gig but what a career anyway!

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks McMaster.

[Dave Homewood]

I just came across this article about the HMAS Melbourne disaster, which Max talked about in the interview above. This was from The Press dated 13th of February 1964.

CARRIER CAPTAIN TELLS STORY OF DISASTER

(N.Z.P.A.- Reuter — Copyright)

SYDNEY, February 12.

After a slow, night-long crawl up the coast from Jervis Bay, the aircraft-carrier Melbourne arrived off Sydney Heads at 3.50 a.m. today and secured at Garden Island Naval Dockyard soon after 6 a.m.

Captain R. J. Robertson said he was on the bridge of the Melbourne when it collided with the destroyer Voyager, 19 miles southeast of Point Perpendicular at 9 p.m. on Monday.

Captain Robertson said the two ships had been on night flying exercises which required the carrier to move as fast as possible. He continued:

“Both ships were blacked out except for port and starboard and red masthead lights.

“Then it happened.

“Melbourne hit Voyager amidships, cutting through her like a knife through cake.

A Crunching Noise
“There was a crunching noise — it reminded me of those collision noises you hear on TV or the movies.

“Voyager split clean in halves and the halves slid along our side.

“Melbourne actually pushed Voyager sideways — it was 20,000 tons hitting 3500 tons — and this served to help Melbourne to stop.

“I ordered our engine's astern and I suppose Melbourne stopped in not much more than one length, with the two halves of Voyager still not back to our stern.”

Captain Robertson, speaking in one of the hangars soon after the carrier, her bows badly damaged, had berthed, declined to reveal the actual speed of either vessel.

Melbourne’s top speed is 22 knots, while Voyager’s best was believed to have been more than 30 knots. Captain Robertson said the rescue began very quickly.

“We drifted up to about 1000 yards away from the stern section of Voyager and then drifted back towards it,” he said.

“I had to move the engines to prevent another collision.

“All Melbourne’s boats were immediately lowered to pick up survivors.

Helicopter Rescues
Within half an hour the “choppers” (helicopters) from Nowra naval airstrip were oh the scene.

‘‘They did a magnificent job, as did the minesweepers and crash launches.

“Fortunately, the sea was calm, but it was very dark.” Captain Robertson said: “It’s dark and the chopper is belting a gale down on you and you’re supposed to grab a dangling rope.... anyway, we got the choppers to play their searchlights on the water, and as they located survivors the choppers radioed the minesweepers and other craft and directed them to the spot.

“This proved a quick and very effective method," he said.

Captain Robertson said that immediately after the collision an inspection was made of the damaged bow of Melbourne. Bulkheads and doors were sealed off.'

“At no time did I have any worry about Melbourne,” he said.

“Coming up the coast, we steamed at eight knots against a steady prevailing three-knot current — there was no point in going faster.

"We arrived off the heads at first light — in any case we thought it advisable to give the survivors a day at sea to collect their thoughts and recover from the shock,” he said.

A Child's Remark
Captain Robertson said the Melbourne would enter dock on Friday, when repairs would be pushed ahead as quickly as possible.

Asked about his immediate plans, Captain Robertson replied: “Well, I’ll be around — there’s plenty to keep me busy.” He added: “The other day I had my young children aboard for the day.

“That night my young son said, ‘Gee, Daddy, you’ve got an easy job—you just stand around and do nothing.’

“How I wish it was like that,” Captain Robertson concluded.

The flag officer commanding the Australian fleet, Rear-Admiral O. H. Becher, said today the Navy was delighted there was going to be a public inquiry. “We have nothing to hide,” he said. Asked if it was an unusual step to appoint a judge to head the official inquiry, the Admiral said:

“Yes, it’s an unusual step. But it’s an unusual accident. It’s a disaster of the greatest magnitude.”

The Lord Mayor of Sydney, Alderman H. Jenson, today opened a fund for dependants of the men lost.

The Sydney City Council has begun the fund with a £1000 contribution. The latest casualty list issued by the Navy Office shows:— 321 on the Voyager. 239 rescued. 3 dead. 79 missing.

Body Recovered
Among the three bodies recovered was that of Captain D. H. Stevens, of the Voyager. The chance of further survivors being found is now slight.

[Dave Homewood]

Blimey, HMAS Melbourne had a separate collision. This is from the Press, 13th of June 1969.

Carrier Commander’s Story

(N.Z P.A. -Reuter —Copyright) SINGAPORE, June 6.

Superb rescue work saved the lives of many sailors from the United States destroyer Frank E. Evans after a collision with the aircraft-carrier Melbourne, the commander of the Australian flagship (Captain J. P. Stevenson) said today.

Captain Stevenson told a press conference aboard his ship an hour after it docked in Singapore today that all but one of the 199 survivors from the Frank E. Evans had been rescued within four minutes. The final survivor was picked up by helicopter 250 yards from the Melbourne eight minutes later.

Eighty men were rescued from the forward section of the destroyer before it sank, and the remainder were picked up from the water or from the rear section, which was quickly lashed alongside the Melbourne.

One badly-injured survivor somehow clambered from the wrecked destroyer on to the Melbourne’s flight deck without aid. Members of the crew of the Melbourne who were on deck were knocked off their feet by the shock of the collision, said Captain Stevenson, who added that he was on the bridge at the time of the collision.

The ship was making 15 knots.

Captain Stevenson said he also was in control of a screen of five destroyers, including the Frank E. Evans, with the task of detecting submarines 40 miles ahead of the 40 ships in the S.E.A.T.O. convoy.

Visibility Good
It was a clear moonlit night with very good visibility and a calm sea. The ships were fully darkened and were steaming at 18 knots carrying out a zig-zag—designed to make the submarine attack problem more difficult, said Captain Stevenson. The destroyers were formed in an anti-submarine screen ahead of the Melbourne, at ranges varying from 3000 to 10,000 yards. Aircraft were to be used from the Melbourne at 0330 hours and 20 minutes before this the Frank E. Evans was ordered from her Screening station to a position 1000 yards astern of Melbourne.

It was in the course of this manoeuvre that the collision occurred.

Captain Stevenson said he was proud of the way the ship’s company reacted.

Rescue Work
Boats, life-buoys and lifejackets were in the water within minutes, and many men dived into the sea with complete disregard for their own safety to pick up survivors.

The Melbourne was stopped so that the after half of the Frank E. Evans could be secured alongside, and many more men scrambled down nets to give aid to those remaining on board. Helicopters were aloft within minutes, and joined the boats scouring the area. All the ships in the vicinity came to assist.

The search for survivors continued throughout the day. When the Melbourne left the area after dark there was no doubt that everything possible had been done to rescue the living, said Captain Stevenson.

The extent of damage to the Melbourne was still being assessed, he said, but damage to the flight-deck was not serious and as soon as temporary repairs were made to the bow so the ship could exceed 15 knots, aircraft would be able to get on and off the deck.

Survivors Arrive
The Melbourne is carrying four Skyhawk fighter bombers and six Grumman Tracker aircraft as well as 10 helicopters.

The United States carrier Kearsarge today steamed into Subic Bay, a big United States naval base in the Philippines, with more than 190 survivors from the Frank E. Evans, the Associated Press reported.

The captain of the destroyer, A. S. McLemore, was to be the first man off the carrier, with his executive officer, for a news conference on shore at 5 p.m. The remainder of the crew was to remain on board the Kearsarge to receive fresh uniforms and identification cards. They were to come ashore after the conference, but will remain at Subic Bay for an indefinite period before returning to the United States.

Officials on shore were not certain of the exact number of survivors aboard the Kearsarge. There was a total of 199 survivors, but at least two were flown to Vietnam for emergency medical treatment, and one more had been flown back to the United States on an emergency leave.

Others also may have left the ship. The joint United States-Australian inquiry into the collision will open at Subic Bay at 10 a.m., local time, on Monday. The Royal Australian Navy announced this in Canberra today.

[baz62]

Sounds like they got most of the crew off?

[Dave Homewood]

Oct 22, 2023 7:49:56 GMT 12 baz62 said:

Sounds like they got most of the crew off?

74 USS Frank E. Evans crew members died in the collision.

14 officers and 67 sailors were killed in the HMAS Voyager collision.