A Brief Resume
After basic training,Crew training on Wellington T10 at Swinderby,I completed 241 OCU Dishforth on Hastings and was posted to 24 Sqdn. Lyneham,bound for route flying. Whilst on end of course leave.I received a telegram telling me to report to 202 Sqnd.Aldergrove.Somewhat mystyfied on arrival I was informed my crew was to fly the "Bismuth" weather recce daily flights,whilst the remainder of the Squadron converted from the Halifax. After seven months,a posting arrived,No1 MRS St Mawgan ? No amount of explaining I was Transport Command achieved any result.You are now Coastal Command and you have not completed the appropriate OCU. Pissed off, I turned up at St Mawgan to find it was Lancasters,futher compounded by the fact that the postings would be Ballykelly or Kinloss. I hated N.I. and Scotland didnt appeal,but after prolonged bitching I was offered Sunderlands,with a posting to FEAF. I was happy to accept this,especially as the Old Man had been on boats with Imperial Airways at Southampton,and we lived at Hamble,just across from Calshot.
Sunderland OCU
Joining 235 OCU Calshot Nov. 1950 I was soon to find this was an entirely different world to that which I had been used to!
Just one crew.Informed we had to be on FEFBW by Jan 51.It was to prove a rapid transformation.
First week ground school. Not your average subjects! first lesson,How to splice a wire rope! taken by a hairy old matelot,who was not satisfied until all our tender hands ran with blood.[ Some 60 years later I can still splice a wire rope] second lesson.Flag Hoists,the nautical side of the training came thick and fast. After lunch,dinghy sailing,to understand deep nautical mysteries of tidal rips,tacking cross wind,down tide,up tide.To prove very necessary when trying to pick up the buoy on crowded mooring trots. And so it went ,the transformation to a combined Aviator/Sailor. At the end of the week we had our first visit to the aircraft.
Nautical traditions are strictly adhered to Captain is last to board the launch which takes you from the pier to the aircraft and first to disembark at the forrard door.The Sunderland is a twin deck aircraft and to run you thro the layout,on boarding, to the left anchor winch,twin 303's port and starboard fixed,pilots for the use of.Front turret,retrackable for mooring,twin 303's.right entrance to forrard wardroom,centre stairs to flight deck,far right Heads,with china flushing loo(engineers job to ensure header tank was full of seawater for flushing]. Thro wardroom,centre table two bunks,the galley,compared with other aircraft quite spacious,worktable fore and aft,twin primus stoves with oven,wash basin and plenty of stowage space.Opening hatches port and starboard for deployment of water drogues,centre ladder to flight deck.Next came the bomb room,two large hatches port and starboard which allowed the bomb racks to slide out under the wings.Plenty of space to stow internal carried bombs and/or baggage.Next came the aft wardroom,twin bunks,next port and starboard .5 machine gun platforms with opening hatches.Past these on stbd. side rear door[rarely used] port side workbench and vice,then up a catwalk to the rear turret,4x303's in a Fraser Nash turret. All doors are half hatches,you had to step over,in case of a hole in the hull,hopefully flooding could be contained in one compartment.
Coming forrard,steps up from the .5 platforms onto the radar deck,scanners uder each wing,outboard of 1&4 engines,throhatch,ladder back down to galley,radio and nav equipment port side,engineer stbd.over main spar,Nav to stbd, W/op to port ,behind Nav, Radar tent.centre stairs down to forrad door.Pilots port and stbd.Using the excellent internal views posted by S'land,you should be able to follow the walkround. Between the nav and w/op was a table,directly above the astro dome,which was also the access to the top of the fuselarge and the wings.Having had the conducted tour,we all assembled on the stbd. wing to be shown the apu[no trolley accs. on boats] refuelling points,yes you do your own refuelling.Its why you are taught flag hoists,T over E on the mooring mast to indicate to the skipper of the Cowes ferry to slow down,I am loading high explosives!!!
Now this next bit I am rather embarassed about. BLOODY SEAGULLS roost on the wings at night,nobody mentioned this,we we all wearing the old style flying boots with rubber soles,being a junior I was edging around the back to get a better view,when very gracefully I slid off the wing.It was like a skating rink.remember this was the Solent in November, as this was just a visit the launch was still there to take us back,he shot around to pick me up. Subsequently,when I raised the question why we were not warned,I was politely advised its a necessary learning curve,and anyway the staff have a raffle on which silly bugger will be the first!! Part and parcel of learning nautical ways.One hand for you,one for the boat.I now began to realize this was a somewhat different OCU!!
Last edited by Old Hairy; 23rd Jun 2008 at 14:51.