Torre Canyon 50th Anniversary

[Finningley Boy]

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!:ok:

FB:)

[campbeex]

Didn't around of a quarter of the bombs dropped miss the target?

Also, "Torrey", not "Torre". :ok:

[Fareastdriver]

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.

[Haraka]

I went down to Newquay as a Sixth-former to help clean the seabirds of oil.

[NutLoose]

I watched it on telly as my mum wouldn't let me out as I was only 8. :p

[rolling20]

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 Only superseded by the Apollo moon landing a couple of years later.

[Fareastdriver]

The full story.

Torrey Canyon oil spill: The day the sea turned black - BBC News (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39223308)

[chevvron]

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.

[Wholigan]

"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.

[Fonsini]

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.

[rog747]

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

[Haraka]

Spraying detergent onto the oil created another problem ; "chocolate mousse ".This destroyed the protection of the seabirds' naturally oiled feathers......

[kenparry]

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.

Don't think so. I was on 1(F)Sqn at the time; both 1 and 54 were involved, dropping napalm. I have no knowledge of any cross-training to the Vixen. The timescale was too short for that, only a few days start to finish. Not sure what the Chivenor sqns did, if anything. I think the 1 & 54 aircraft refuelled at Chivenor after their attacks, to fly back to base.

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.

[Onceapilot]

Quite a lot of flak about UXB's. Anyone able to tell about 1000lb fusing used? Differences between RAF/Navy fuses in that Op?

OAP

[Pontius Navigator]

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) :)

[pmills575]

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

[KiloB]

Just seen quite a good clip of a Sea Vixen making a bomb run on the ship on BBC.

[diginagain]

Just seen quite a good clip of a Sea Vixen making a bomb run on the ship on BBC.
Does the clip still include footage clearly from the AMOCO CADIZ disaster?

[Slow Biker]

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

Yep, I was that armourer, only at West Raynham not Chivenor. I cannot remember the exact make-up of the 'napalm', only that it was fuel and what almost looked like sawdust. It was mixed in 45gal drums using a perforated lance connected to a compressed air bottle, then transferred to drop tanks. 50 years ago, no H&S, no PPE, just overalls. The fun bit was disposing of the surplus. The stuff was emptied into a shallow pit on the far side of the airfield and a 'Puff Powder' (a small muslin bag filled with gunpowder) connected to a length of safety fuze placed on top. The Oic ordered everyone back, "I'll deal with this" he said and lit the fuze with a long burning fuzee match - and then dropped the match into the pit! Fortunately it took several seconds to get going, then it was quite spectacular.

[Finningley Boy]

Didn't around of a quarter of the bombs dropped miss the target?

Also, "Torrey", not "Torre". :ok:

Quite right to point it out sir, my missteak.:O

Phanks!:)

[212man]

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.

I'm surprised there would have been any sensitivity at that time, as it was not widely known about by the general public until a few years later.

[Wholigan]

There was some sensitivity, as it had to be called "liquefied petroleum jelly", especially during radio and TV interviews. The RAF did not officially use "napalm".

[Fareastdriver]

IIRC the USAF F100s at Lakenheath had drop tanks that had a tube containing a substance going through the middle which could be fractured from the cockpit and turn the fuel into napalm.

[goudie]

The picture of the little girl, in Vietnam, running naked in terror, with her skin peeling off brought home the horrors of napalm to the general public.

[Wholigan]

Although that was in 1972.

[212man]

Although that was in 1972.my point exactly

[Wholigan]

But there certainly was "sensitivity" because we were briefed not to say the "n" word. I have no real idea why and, as a lowly flying officer, I wasn't privy to the inner workings.

However, it certainly had to be "deniable" that the RAF had or used napalm although, as you know, anybody with fuel and a gelling agent had it by default.

Fortunately, the great unwashed wasn't aware of that. What I guess they did know was that it had been around since 1942 and was used through World War 2, the Korean War and in Vietnam from 1963. It was known to be a pretty horrific weapon when used against personnel, so denying the RAF "had it" was quite reasonable at that time.

[racedo]

so denying the RAF "had it" was quite reasonable at that time.

How Innocent things were back then................... these days it would be "For Operational Security reasons the MOD does not comment on Armaments carried on military operations"

[Fonsini]

I confess that the "rules" of modern warfare have always confused me, napalm, cluster bombs, anti personnel mines, and phosphorous grenades are perfectly fine - but shoot someone with a bullet that deliberately expands or flattens and Mr.Hague says you're in big trouble.

Then I never was a highly trained legal expert.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I used to work with the lead RN Nav for that exercise , then moved onto a civilian training job with MoD.

Nice chap, but we still never tired of reminding him that the Navy managed to miss a stationary quarter mile long ship. It would be fair to say that he did ... tire of being reminded of it, that is.

G

[Pontius Navigator]

Fonsini,IIRC we were supposed to read the Geneva Convention too. I think it was once a month but I have no recollection of ever seeing a copy, never had a lecture on it, and no one ever thought to produce a guide.

The best we had was to remove the red cross from the knee pocket where we kept out first aid kit, and number, rank, name, dob if captured. Our religion was not covered but was on the dog tag. We didn't think the Russians would be too bothered by the principles of the GC.

[jindabyne]

The Chivenor Hunters each dropped two 100 gallon underwing fuel tanks filled with Avtur on the 28/29/30th; they refuelled after each 'drop' at St Mawgan, returning to Chivenor each day. The pilots did not carry out preparatory Sea Vixen training.

[Innominate]

There was at least one RAF navigator flying in the naval Buccaneers - might the Sea Vixen rumour have originated from someone seeing an RAF pilot on exchange with the FAA?

[Fonsini]

Fonsini,IIRC we were supposed to read the Geneva Convention too. I think it was once a month but I have no recollection of ever seeing a copy, never had a lecture on it, and no one ever thought to produce a guide.

The best we had was to remove the red cross from the knee pocket where we kept out first aid kit, and number, rank, name, dob if captured. Our religion was not covered but was on the dog tag. We didn't think the Russians would be too bothered by the principles of the GC.

Yes, I doubt the Russians would have had much sympathy for someone who just dropped something bright on Murmansk. Were survival courses and counter-interrogation techniques part of your training curriculum back then, or was there an assumption that an operational mission for V-Force was almost certain to be a one way ticket ?

Apologies if that sounds cold, just curious as ever.

[Pontius Navigator]

Fonsini see PM

[kenparry]

There was at least one RAF navigator flying in the naval Buccaneers - might the Sea Vixen rumour have originated from someone seeing an RAF pilot on exchange with the FAA?
There were a few RAF pilots flying Vixens - at least one from my Chivenor course went that way the year before Torrey Canyon. The reason was that, as ever, the RN was short of pilots and needed to borrow some of the light blue variety.