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| View Original: | 42 Squadron RAAF Catalina crew escape aircraft Jan 1945 NWA0736.jpg (450x355) | |||
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| Keywords: 42 Squadron RAAF Catalina crew escape aircraft Jan 1945 NWA0736.jpg AWM caption Off Sumba Island Netherlands East Indies 1945-01-15 The crew of the disabled Catalina aircraft serial no A24-96 code RK-E of No 42 Squadron RAAF in their dinghies preparing to move across to the Catalina aircraft of No 43 Squadron RAAF which came to rescue them The aircraft had come down near Japanese held territory On the night of 14 January 1945 during a mission to Surabaya a plane from No 42 Squadron RAAF captained by Flight Lieutenant Flt Lt Harrigan experienced trouble with its port engine and immediately began to lose altitude At the time Flt Lt Harrigan was flying at 300 feet below heavy cloud off Sumba Island He jettisoned his mines but the plane continued to lose altitude and he was forced to alight on the open sea The hull of the Catalina aircraft was damaged and began to leak However the water was kept down by baling Using the radio-telephone the crew was able to make its position known to returning minelayers All night they worked on the faulty engine but without success However in the morning a Catalina aircraft of No 43 Squadron RAAF captained by Flt Lt Ortlepp landed in the heavy swell covered by a Liberator aircraft and took off Flt Lt Harrigan's crew Flt Lt Ortlepp then destroyed the disabled Catalina aircraft with machine-gun fire and returned safely to base NWA0736 1945-01-15 not stated Copyright expired - public domain PD-AustraliaGov No 42 Squadron RAAF No 43 Squadron RAAF Consolidated Catalina RAAF World War II forces of Australia in the Dutch East Indies | ||||
