Date:	Saturday 5 September 1942
Time:	day
Type:	Handley Page Hampden Mk I
Owner/operator:	455 Sqn RAAF
Registration:	P5323
MSN:	UB-L
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Kandalaksha, Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, -   Russia
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Sumburgh, Shetland Islands
Destination airport:	Vaenga, Murmansk, Russia

Narrative:
Built by Quebec Group, Canada. Issued 22/05/1942 To 455 Squadron, RAAF, Coded UB-L. Written off (damaged beyond economic repair) 05/09/1942 when crash landed due to fuel exhaustion at Kandalaksha, Kandalakshsky District of Murmansk Oblast, Russia, (then USSR). All four crew unhurt including the pilot - Pilot Officer Rupert "Jeep" Patrick. Aircraft was involved in "Operation Orator"

"Operation Orator" was the code name for the defence of the Allied Arctic convoy PQ-18 by British and Australian air force units based temporarily in North-West Russia, against attack by the German battleship Tirpitz and other Kriegsmarine surface vessels. The wing, known as the Search & Strike Force, was commanded by Group Captain Frank Hopps and its maritime strike element was the Leuchars Wing, comprising No. 144 Squadron, Royal Air Force (RAF) and No. 455 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) equipped with Handley-Page Hampden TB 1 torpedo bombers.

The Hampden crews made a long and dangerous flight from bases in Scotland (4–5 September) and assembled at Vayenga-1 airfield, near Vayenga (also spelt Vaenga; later Severomorsk), on the Kola Inlet, 25 miles (40 km) north of Murmansk. 455 Squadron RAAF lost three aircraft shot down or crashed in transit (including P5323) but the remainder joined a detachment of 210 Squadron Catalina flying boats and a section of photographic reconnaissance Spitfires from 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit to make up the Search & Strike Force (S&SF).

On 20/10/1943 P5323 was struck off charge and Handed over to Russian Navy (probably as a source of spares)

1. Walling, M. G. (2012). Forgotten Sacrifice: The Arctic Convoys of World War II. General Military. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-84908-718-6.(Pages 201-209)
2. Alexander, Kristin (2009). Jack Davenport, Beaufighter Leader (e-book ed.). Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-282-23908-1.(page 133-142)
3. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/hampden.htm
4. https://www.silksheenphotography.co.uk/resident-aircraft/hampden-ae436-gallery-history/
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Orator#Aircraft_losses

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

6 February 1942

AE308

455 Sqn RAAF

4

North Sea 70 km W of Terschelling, Friesland

mis

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
16-Jul-2018 18:42	Dr. John Smith	Added
11-Nov-2018 13:13	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]