Shackleton WL746 accident 1953 - help needed.

[BunkerBound]

I am researching a Shackleton accident on behalf of a friend whose uncle died in the crash.

Google has lead me to some information and the Air Historical Branch has been very helpful. I have e-mailed the editor of 'The Growler' magazine and am planning to visit the National Archives but I would appreciate any suggestions which will help me find further details and photographs of the airframe.

Here is a summary of the information gathered so far:

Shackleton MR2 WL746 of 269 Sqn was on loan to 240 Sqn and captained by Flt Lt F Chevallier. On 11 Dec 1953, WL746 departed RAF Ballykelly to conduct radar homings on a submarine in the Lough Foyle-Rathlin Island area; this exercise was to be followed by a navigation exercise. The crew completed the anti-submarine procedures and made its last radio call at 1715 hours. At 1730 hours several civilians on the Isle of Mull heard a low-flying aircraft and an explosion. Wreckage was found on the Isle of Mull and the nearby mainland, although it is not clear whether this wreckage was found on the coastline or further inland. All 10 crew died in the accident. The condition of some of the wreckage indicated an extremely violent impact, but the cause of the accident was never established. In March 1954, further wreckage was found in the Sound of Mull which lead experts to conclude that the aircraft appeared to have struck the water whilst turning to starboard in a nose down attitude. A search of the high ground on the Isle of Mull did not reveal any evidence of a glancing impact. There were 30 major accidents involving Shackleton aircraft between 1951 and 1954.

Thank you in advance for any help,

BunkerBound

[Bob Viking]

It sounds eerily similar to an accident in which a Great Uncle of mine died! Although I fear it may not be the same one.
His name was Flt Sgt John Weston, he was the pilot (and I believe Captain, hence my doubts about it being the same accident).
It was lost in the Mull of Kintyre at about the same time, with a couple of passengers aboard, and never found.
As I said, I don't think it's the same aircraft but scary how many similar accidents there were around that time!
If anyone has any information on that I'd love to read it.
Sorry to hijack your thread BunkerBound!
BV:O

[Warmtoast]

Bunkerbound

Although not strictly relevant to your post I photographed it's sister Shack WL743 at the Royal Observer Corps day at Biggin Hill in 1954.

As I quote on my web page/gallery of photos of my time at Biggin Hill:

Shackleton Mk2, serial number WL743, of 42 Sqn, St. Eval (Cornwall). Sadly this particular aircraft went missing on the night of 11 January 1955 and is assumed to have collided with WG531, also from 42 Sqn, south-west of Ireland. It was declared Cat.5 (Missing) the same day. In total eighteen crew died, nine in each aircraft.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/Biggin%20Hill%20Early%201950s/ShackMk2b-1.jpg

[stas-fan]

I'll ask me Pa,
he was there at the time and was on the same sqn. I have tended graves (flowers etc) at the church in Balllykely, there is a group of about 13 from one aircraft which hit Mull but not sure which crash they are from.

Ask the shackleton society, that is full of Ballykelly old boys.

Get back to you soon.

cheers SF

[Warmtoast]

Contemporary press cuttings indicate that it crashed in the Sound of Mull with the wreckage being found by the frigate HMS Volage on 13th December 1953.
A month later a further cutting reports two bodies being found. See below:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/ShackCrashDec1953.jpg

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/thawes/ShackCrashDec1953218Jan54.jpg

[BunkerBound]

Bob Viking

It has taken me a while to determine which Shackleton your great uncle died in. Shackleton MR1 VP286 flew into the sea of Tarbat Ness during a gunnery exercise on 8 Oct 52. There appears to be a typo in my information which lists the pilot as FS J C Western.

This is an extract from an Air Ministry signal dated 20 Dec 58 which detailed a number of Shackleton accidents to inform a Board of Inquiry into the loss of another Shackleton:

PD SUB PARA (Z) OCT 52 MK1 VP286 PD IN AIR TO SEA GUNNERY EXERCISE CRASHED IN SEA THIRTY MINUTES AFTER TAKE OFF PD DISTANT OBSERVERS SAW FLASH AND SMOKE BUT DID NOT SEE AIRCRAFT BEFORE CRASH PD CAUSE NOT ESTABLISHED PD

The signal goes on to state:

PARA THREE PD INVESTIGATIONS INTO THESE ACCIDENTS PRODUCED SUGGESTIONS THAT IN TWO CASES THE AIRCRAFT MAY HAVE STALLED IN A TURN AND IN ONE THAT ENGINE MASTER COCKS MAY HAVE BEEN INADVERTENTLY KNOCKED OFF WHILE PILOTS WERE CHANGING SEATS

Unfortunately, it is not clear exactly which accidents the possible suggestions apply to.

I'll post any further details I find on here.

Thawes

Thanks for the newspaper cuttings and the photograph of WL743.

On the photograph, there is a large letter 'T' to the left of the serial. Can I infer that there would be a similary large letter 'W' to the left of the serial on WL746? I ask as this may help me find a picture of WL746 amongst several I have where the serials are unreadable.

Stas-Fan

Hope to hear from you soon. Do you have a contact at the Shackleton Society? I suspect the the Growler Magazine's web page is a little out of date and the e-mail addresses listed are no longer active.

Thanks again

BunkerBound

[Shack37]

Bunkerbound
From the latest Growler: spring 2008
Editor & Producer

Nev Feist
[email protected]

Web site www.nrf37.co.uk/Shack (http://www.nrf37.co.uk/Shack)

Good luck in your search.

s37

[Bob Viking]

Thanks very much for that.
It was me getting the spelling wrong not you! His wife (my Nan's sister) is still alive but has since re-married so I never knew them with the name Western.
From what my Nan tells me, there were a couple of air cadets (may have been junior rank passengers) on board when it went down.
The family (wife and two young sons) were in quarters at Kinloss. Not a happy time I would imagine!
BV:(

[Warmtoast]

On the photograph, there is a large letter 'T' to the left of the serial. Can I infer that there would be a similary large letter 'W' to the left of the serial on WL746? I ask as this may help me find a picture of WL746 amongst several I have where the serials are unreadable

I really cannot help with this, but assume others may know what identification letters were painted on which aircraft. However WL746 the one you're after was Ballykelly based whereas WL743 the one in my photo from 42 Sqn at St Eval in Cornwell and it may be that individual squadrons/bases had their own method of numbering aircraft with the possibilty that this type of "individualism" went on, but I suspect otherwise and that the paint schemes and numbering were common throughout Coastal Command as directed by HQ.

[Ivan Rogov]

BB, according to this site WL746 remained uncoded -

http://users.bigpond.net.au/Shackleton/squall.html

No 269 Squadron

In 1953 the squadron received a number of Mark 2's, the intention being that each unit should be equipped with four aircraft of each type. During the time spent on the squadron, the Mark 2's remained uncoded.

Serial No. Period Comments

WL739 12/53-8/54
WL746 4/53-12/53 Crashed off the coast of Argyll, Scotland 12/12/53. No.240 Sqn. crew.
WL747 4/53-8/54 To 204 Sqn.
WL750 4/53-7/54



The attrition rates back then seem unbelievable, thoughts go out to all the crews who didn't survive.

[Lancman]

A small, sad, detail. "Paddy" Harrington was a national service Flight Engineer who only went along on that flight as a supernumary in order to get his flying hours up to 500 before he was due to be de-mobbed a couple of weeks later.

[Gainesy]

Two Sgts called Maurice Griffin? :confused:

[Lancman]

I wish I knew how to put pictures on this site! I'm looking at a photo that I took from the mid-upper turret of a Shack fly-past over Belfast on the 19th of June 1954. In the foreground is WL 739, a Mk II of 269 Sqdn, with WB 858, a Mk I of 240 Sqdn beyond it. WL 739 has no large letters on the rear fuselage but it does have a large O on the nose. WB 858 has L to the left of the roundel and B to the right, nothing on the nose. I hope that this might be of some help in identifying WL 746 of 269.

[airborne_artist]

Lancman - read this thread (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=203481)

PM me if you need help.

[ChrisP47]

After a number of years of research and some good luck I recently discovered that I am related to both Edward William George Pinn who died in Shackleton VP286 as well as Louis John Pinn who died in Lincoln SX976. It seems a sad coincidence that two of my family died in RAF service during the postwar period within two years of each other whilst flying in Avro aircraft.

Chris Pinn

[oxenos]

Chris "Joe" ashworth's book The Shackleton gives WL 746 as being issued to 269 Sqn., but remaining uncoded. The crew lost were however from 240 Sqn.

[eileen daly]

hi, first time doing this so patience required! Paddy Harrington was my uncle and i'm doing some research on him and the crash, i'd really appreciate any extra info. I hope to bring my mother and her two sisters (Paddy's sisters) to The Isle of Mull shortly, sixty years later, and all details would help.

[Tinribs]

This area has long been a bit strange for aircraft crashes, probably because of the changeable weather and tidal systems.

This has resulted in numerous aircraft and person bits being washed up and difficulty in identifying who and what has been found

After one loss a body was found on top of the hill which seemed to come from a crash but no aircraft bits found

A book was written about the incident which seemed to relate to a night flight from a local flying club with two missing but the mystery was never really solved

Several aircraft bits were found on the beach after a search but none seemed to come from the missing aircraft

[madyak]

I've just returned from carrying out some survey work in the Sound of Mull and as part of that work we were using underwater TV cameras. We captured some footage of wreckage of some sort and we're all pretty sure it's not a boat and we thought it might be an aircraft. A quick internet search brought me here and I thought you guys might be able to help identify it/be interested. The footage will be getting uploaded in the near future and I'll post the URL for it when it does. We also ran some swath batymetry over the site and it showed two regular shapes about 1m proud of the seabed and around 6-8m apart, which I suppose could be a tail section.

[Gary Western]

Hello Bob.
Had to get in touch,Flt Sgt John Claude Western was my Father.He actually left behind 3 sons when he was killed,me being the youngest aged 3.My mother is still alive and had her 90th birthday this June,my eldest brother is Michael and Leigh is in between,we are still all going strong and healthy and have lived in the Ipswich area since just after my fathers accident.Michael and I both held PPL's and glider pilots licences for many years amassing thousands of hours between us,mainly flying PFA type aircraft.Over the years done quite a bit of research on Shackleton VP286 but not really found out that much more than was in the original report.Be interested to hear from you and anyone else who might know of this particular accident and even possibly knew my Father or have some photographs etc.

[Bob Viking]

Long time no see! I believe it was Michael's wedding that I last saw you (I must have been about 9 or 10 years old?!).
I have re-read my earlier posts and I'm not sure why I wrote two sons. Either I thought you hadn't been born at that stage or that I mis-typed. I don't recall!
Glad to hear you're all well. I get the occasional update on your mum through my nan. She'll be 90 soon as well.
I remember my nan talking about you flying (I didn't realise Michael did as well). She also said you owned a model shop. Is that still going?
I am currently based in Canada on my fourth flying tour. Started out flying the Jaguar, then became a QFI on the Hawk T1 followed by QFI on the Hawk T2. Now (still a QFI) on the Hawk 115. Just over 2000 fast jet hours. Married with two young boys and spending an inordinate amount of time shovelling snow off my driveway at the moment.
Good to hear from you and I'll see if I can find out anything more about the crash.
BV:ok:

[54Phan]

You may already know this, but there is a photograph of crew members from SX976 in "Lincoln at War" (Garbutt and Goulding), as well as some text concerning the accident. Although he is identified in the photo caption as "Lon Pinn", he is identified correctly in the text. I found the description of the mishap to be quite sobering reading.

[Tinribs]

I only had one trip in a shack, 1965 42 St Mawgan, but there were plenty about during my service

At that time in December near Mull it would have been well dark and the Shack instruments were not designed for tactical work

To change pilots while airborne quite a lot of struggling would be needed and I think it unlikely it would be attempted at low level

Heavies operated close to there max AUW and there was an issue about de icing. It's a long time ago but as I recall numerous cases in various types had discovered that the de ice fluid in use flowed over the tail not both sides as slow speed high AOA which meant you could build up ice unde the tailpane and get a sudden tail plane stall when turning. I think the Mk 3 had the same problem