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GRASNAYA (MURMANSK) AND " A " OF 422

A of 422 (FP103) took off from Grasnaya (Murmansk) at 1900 hours with Nick Honey as skipper, Joe Corkindale and Ralph Shepherd on board, enroute for Sullom Voe in the Shetlands, but on approaching he was diverted to Invergordon because of poor weather.

Weather was really bad with cloud base almost down to sea level. Suddenly the aircraft began to undulate violently, and appeared to shoot upward, and after what appeared to be ages it suddenly seemed to fall downwards -- then hit the sea. Everything which was loose in the aircraft floating about, slings of ammunition floated through the aircraft like piano keyboards. They hit the sea, belly first, and water entered the bilge. Ralph Shepherd was on the radio.

Through the windows could be seen the ailerons on both wings had broken away. With water pouring through the bilge, and with engines roaring they skimmed water towards land and eventually it ran up on some rocks a few yards off shore. Apart from getting wet, everyone survived -- they had crashed on the Isle of Whalsay on the east coast of the Shetlands on which there was a small R.A.F. Radar/R.D.F. Station. An R.A.F. Airsea Rescue boat took the crew to Sullom Voe through very rough seas.

Catalina A -- Ran aground at the Shetlands

ALSO MURMANSK BUT A DIVERSION

Meanwhile, Al Ormerod and Ken Pye flew with Jack Bellis and Dave Patton, (See Appendix 4 for crews), and took off from Sullum Voe on September 1, 1942 at 15:15 hours, flying to Lake Lachta in Russia in 21 hours 20 minutes (13 hours daylight and 7 hours night flying). From there they flew to Murmansk in five hours the next day.

Returning on September 8, they flew over sea fog for approximately four hours, and after Catalina A event were diverted to Invergordon, then Sullom Voe, and left there for Castle Archdale on 19 Sept. 1942.

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