Torre Canyon 50th Anniversary
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Torre Canyon 50th Anniversary
Chaps, events which took place 50 years ago tomorrow, 18 March 1967, resulted in RAF and Royal Navy Aircraft dropping ordnance, outside of training, within the European theatre for the first time since 1945. The Torre Canyon ran aground just West of Lands end. Buccaneers from then RNAS Lossiemouth and I believe Hunters from Chivenor and West Raynham, were employed to drop some 62,000lbs of explosives on the stricken vessel, while Cornish residents and the various authorities were kept busy trying to disperse the oils slick invasion along the coast. Never thought High performance Strike Attack aircraft would have been engaged in helping to clean up an environmental disaster!
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One of them went straight through the funnel without exploding. I flew a recce party out there after a couple of attack waves. That was between flying barrels of detergent to the bottom of Cornish cliffs.
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I watched it on telly as my mum wouldn't let me out as I was only 8. 
As a child, this was my first recollection of TV news. Watching the Bucs drop their bombs was fascinating to a young me. Only superseded by the Apollo moon landing a couple of years later.
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"Didn't around of a quarter of the bombs dropped miss the target?"
You need to define "target". The "napalm" bombs were not dropped on the actual ship, but on the oil slick with the intention of setting fire to the oil. This was a failure, as the oil was actually "floating" below several inches of sea water. Thus, we produced a lot of steam but few flames, and those that were produced were extinguished by waves.
"some of the Hunter pilots were trained on the Sea Vixen specially for this op". I am prepared to be proved wrong, but I have no recollection of this and I would be spectacularly amazed if it happened. Most unlikely.
You need to define "target". The "napalm" bombs were not dropped on the actual ship, but on the oil slick with the intention of setting fire to the oil. This was a failure, as the oil was actually "floating" below several inches of sea water. Thus, we produced a lot of steam but few flames, and those that were produced were extinguished by waves.
"some of the Hunter pilots were trained on the Sea Vixen specially for this op". I am prepared to be proved wrong, but I have no recollection of this and I would be spectacularly amazed if it happened. Most unlikely.
Is the "napalm thing" a matter of official record now? I used to work with a Buccaneer rear seater who was medically discharged with a head injury and transferred to HM Customs who told me his aircraft was dropping napalm on the oil slick but they were told to keep it OpSec as the RAF was very sensitive about the availability and/or use of napalm.
On a side note - HM Customs would always take injured service personnel and former Northern Ireland police officers and give them jobs, so I worked with a lot of HM Forces personnel. The Bucc guy was a nice chap but his head injury was quite severe and he was always a little "off". His story was that he had ejected and during the subsequent sea rescue he swung under the helos undercarriage and was winched up into it (he never forgave himself for removing his helmet) his head injury was so severe that he suffered some brain damage.
On a side note - HM Customs would always take injured service personnel and former Northern Ireland police officers and give them jobs, so I worked with a lot of HM Forces personnel. The Bucc guy was a nice chap but his head injury was quite severe and he was always a little "off". His story was that he had ejected and during the subsequent sea rescue he swung under the helos undercarriage and was winched up into it (he never forgave himself for removing his helmet) his head injury was so severe that he suffered some brain damage.
Last edited by Fonsini; 17th Mar 2017 at 21:43.
Easter hols 1967 we stayed right next to lizard lighthouse for a weeks holiday i was 10
watching all the activity in the air and on sea
could smell the oil on the sea spray all the coves nearby were affected housel bay cadgwith kynack mullion
weather that week was dismal
watching all the activity in the air and on sea
could smell the oil on the sea spray all the coves nearby were affected housel bay cadgwith kynack mullion
weather that week was dismal
Spraying detergent onto the oil created another problem ; "chocolate mousse ".This destroyed the protection of the seabirds' naturally oiled feathers......
Went to Chivenor for camp in '69 and we were told some of the Hunter pilots were trained on the Sea Vixen specially for this op.
The Vixens from Yeovilton dropped HE bombs. The theory was that the HE would break open the ship, and the napalm would set the oil on fire. It did not work as expected, and, despite the huge columns of smoke, only relatively small amounts of oil were burned.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
OAP, the Navy would have used Mk 10 IIRC which I think were fused on the side compared with RAF Mk 11 or 12, which both had N&T. One was cast and the other forged. I would guess cast iron was better for that job.
Regarding Napalm, I can confirm the RAF did not use Napalm. Instead they would have used liquefied petroleum jelly (I think it was called)
Regarding Napalm, I can confirm the RAF did not use Napalm. Instead they would have used liquefied petroleum jelly (I think it was called)
A large number of the Hunters from Chivenor were based at St. Mawgan for a few days. I clearly remember them lined up at the 26 end of the 26/08 runway. I also remember the armourers stirring large 45 gallon drums of something very volatile before loading it into drop tanks.
The techies in the radar servicing bay could easily detect the aircraft running into the drop area on the ASV 21 radar.
pm575
The techies in the radar servicing bay could easily detect the aircraft running into the drop area on the ASV 21 radar.
pm575
A large number of the Hunters from Chivenor were based at St. Mawgan for a few days. I clearly remember them lined up at the 26 end of the 26/08 runway. I also remember the armourers stirring large 45 gallon drums of something very volatile before loading it into drop tanks.
The techies in the radar servicing bay could easily detect the aircraft running into the drop area on the ASV 21 radar.
pm575
The techies in the radar servicing bay could easily detect the aircraft running into the drop area on the ASV 21 radar.
pm575
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