VX381 Fairey Firefly wreck

VX381 is a Fairey Firefly aircraft that crashed on 27 November 1956 in Jervis Bay, New South Wales, Australia. VX381 lies underwater in Hare Bay, the northern internal bay of Jervis Bay, at approximately coord|35|00|00|S|150|45|00|E|type:landmark_region:AU.

Mid-Air Collision

On 27 November 1956 four aircraft from 851 Squadron, part of the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Australian Navy, based at HMAS "Albatross" at nearby Nowra, were part of a training mission to familiarise crews with a navigation technique that allowed them determine the wind speed and direction and thereby fly to the aircraft carrier after a mission. After the training to seaward of Jervis Bay the four aircraft were to rendezvous near the bayside town of Huskisson before flying back to "Albatross". VX381 and WD887 were flying circles in opposite directions when they had a mid-air collision, during which the starboard (right) wingtip of VX381 collided with WD887 that tumbled and crashed into Jervis Bay near Huskisson. About one third of VX381’s wing tip was gone, and it continued flying north-east for a short time during which the pilot made a Mayday radio call and then ditched it in the northern area of Jervis Bay where it sank within minutes.

Recovery

Within a minute of the Mayday a Bristol Sycamore helicopter was despatched from "Albatross" to the area and recovered the crews.

Crews

* VX381
** Pilot: Acting Sub-Lieutenant Eagles, RN
** Observer: Midshipman Don Debus, RAN

* WD887
** Pilot: Acting Sub-Lieutenant Rundel, RN
** Observer: Midshipman Foggety, RAN

Recent History

VX381 was re-discovered in 1982 by a local scuba diver, Charles Pickering, and has become a popular diving site since it featured in Tom Byron's book. The wreck is upright with the right wing barely buried in the sandy bottom. The aircraft is largely intact. The propeller and tail planes are visible on high definition sonar.

The position of WD887 in Jervis Bay is unknown.

ee also

* History of the Royal Australian Navy

References

* "Scuba Divers Guide to Jervis Bay", Tom Byron
* [http://www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info/viewpage.php?page_id=128 VX381 @ Michael McFadyen's Scuba Diving web site] - accessed 4 Nov 06