Date:	Thursday 22 August 1940
Time:	night
Type:	Fairey Swordfish Mk 1
Owner/operator:	816 Sqn FAA RN
Registration:	L2745
MSN:	F2687
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea sea off the Norwegian coast, -   Norway
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	HMS Furious
Destination airport:	HMS Furious

Narrative:
816 Sqn. Fleet Air Arm, Royal Navy, Fairey Swordfish L2745, on a mission to attack shipping in Trondheim harbour, got lost in severe weather conditions and when attempting to return to HMS Furious ran out of fuel and was forced to ditch in the North Sea sea with the loss of the three aircrew, Pilot, Lieutenant, John Read; Observer, Sub Lieutenant, Gordon Alfred Busby and Air Gunner, Leading Naval Airman, Leslie Arthur Webber.

Aircraft carrier HMS Furious, stationed off the Norwegian coast, launched an attack on shipping in the Trondheim area on the 22nd September 1940, comprised of 6 Blackburn Skuas and 12 Fairy Swordfish aircraft. Due to inclement weather they were unable to located the target and 12 aircraft returned safely to HMS Furious but 1 Blackburn Skua and 5 Fairy Swordfish got lost and were forced to carry out emergency landings, three in Norway, two in Sweden and one at sea.

Swordfish Ekne (tihlde.org)
fn68_a05.pdf (wordpress.com) Page 197
Royal Navy casualties, killed and died, September 1940 (naval-history.net)
Leslie Arthur Webber (timenote.info)
Swordfish I  L2745 [Royal Air Force Aircraft Serial and Image Database] RAFCommands.com

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
01-Jan-2021 22:16	Peter Clarke	Added
08-Jan-2021 18:03	Peter Clarke	Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Narrative]