ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 225130
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Wednesday 19 August 1942 |
| Time: | 11:25 LT |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk VIII |
| Owner/operator: | 172 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | HX482 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Swansea Bay, 2 1/2 miles northwest Sker Point. -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | RAF Chivenor, Barnstaple, Devon |
| Return. |
This Mk.VIII Wellington (equipped with a 'Leigh Light') was built by Vickers Armstrong at Weybridge. It was assigned to 172 Squadron,at RAF Chivenor, Devon. During a training flight on 19th August 1942, the aircraft was shot down by 'friendly fire' from USS Gulf of Mexico, a US Oil tanker. As a result it crashed into the Swansea Bay, 800 yards northwest of the Scarweather lightship, 1 mile off Scarweather Sands - in Swansea Bay within sight of Swansea, Port Talbot and Porthcawl. All five crew were killed
Pilot Officer Gordon Cave Vincent Jamieson (Pilot) (Service Number 118075, aged 10) - killed. Buried Bristol (Canford) Cemetery, Sec. NN. Grave 56.
Sergeant Edwin Thomas Arthur Deacon (Service Number 919703, aged 25) - killed. Buried Killay (St. Hilary of Poictiers) Churchyard, Grave 202
Pilot Officer Ross Pringle Fahrni, RCAF (Service Number J/9903, Canadian, aged 21)- killed. Buried Killay (St. Hilary of Poictiers) Churchyard, Grave 201
Sergeant Edgar Harold Dawe (Service Number 798712, aged 23) - killed. Buried Killay (St. Hilary of Poictiers) Churchyard, Grave 183
Sergeant Jack Mullins (Service Number 1051648, aged 22) - killed. Buried Macclesfield Cemetery, Plot H. Grave 6418.
According to a published source (see link #10):
"At 11:25 hours on 19 August 1942, the US tanker GULF OF MEXICO was en route in the Bristol Channel when a single low flying twin-engine bomber appeared out of low clouds from ahead about 1 mile west of Scarweather Light. The aircraft looked like a Ju 88 and did not fire recognition signals, so the order was given to open fire at 1000 yards in accordance with CAMSI instructions to fire at any plane approaching within 1500 yards when east of 36°W. Receiving several hits from three Oerlikon guns the aircraft caught fire and crashed into the sea about 1 mile off the starboard quarter. When the tanker arrived at Milford Haven the next day, they were told that they had downed a British aircraft.
Pilot Officer Ross Pringle Fahrni, RCAF was flying as aircrew in an RAF 172 Squadron Wellington VIII 'Leigh Light' bomber, registration HX482 and assigned to Coastal Command and tasked with the identification and destruction of enemy submarines. The aircraft was piloted by my mother's fiancé F/O Gordon Jamieson and on that day was flying an air test and demonstration flight. This was not an offensive mission and the aircraft was unarmed apart from her gun turrets. Flying over Swansea Bay, South Wales in broad daylight and in good visibility, the aircraft was cruising across the bay when she was attacked by anti-aircraft gunners on an American ship, reported as the USS or SS 'Gulf of Mexico'. The Wellington was at relatively low level but not in an attacking stance, but was nevertheless mistaken for an enemy aircraft and shot down into the bay. All on board were killed as they had no time to bale out. The wreck remains in Swansea Bay and is protected by UK Government legislation from any interference, although I understand all the crew were recovered from the sea in the following days and buried separately in accordance with family wishes. Gordon is buried at Canford in Bristol."
Mission: Air test flight/Demonstration.
Details:
172 squadron was formed on 4 April 1942 at RAF Chivenor from No. 1417 (Leigh Light) Flight, and was part of 19 Group, Coastal Command. The squadron had been formed to continue the work of the development flight to use the new Leigh Light in conjunction with ASV radar on anti-submarine patrols. The aircraft that was chosen was the type 429 Wellington GR Mark VIII, which started out as the Mk Ic and was converted for Coastal Command service. Roles included reconnaissance, anti-submarine, and anti-shipping attack. A Coastal Command Wellington was the first aircraft to be fitted with the anti-submarine Leigh Light. A total of 307 were built at Weybridge, 58 fitted with the Leigh Light. The Leigh Light (L/L) was a British anti-submarine device used in the Battle of the Atlantic. It was a powerful carbon arc searchlight of 24 inches diameter. The Wellington had the ‘Turret type’, fitted which was deployed in a lower fuselage gondola in the space originally for the belly machine gun position in a retractable under-turret. The maximum beam intensity was 50 million candelas without the spreading lens and about 20 million candelas with the lens. Total weight was 1,100 lb
By June 1942, aircraft equipped with ASV Radar, and the Leigh Light were operating over the Bay of Biscay intercepting U-boats moving to and from their home ports on the coast of France. The first submarine to be successfully sighted was the Italian submarine Torelli, on the night of the 3rd of June 1942, and the first confirmed kill was the U-502, sunk on the 5th of July 1942 by a Vickers Wellington of 172 squadron RAF.
At 11:25hrs, HX482 took off on a test and demonstration along with 2 passengers, including an US Army Officer and one of her groundcrew. The aircraft was unarmed apart from the loaded gun turrets. The aircraft was flying over Swansea Bay, when she was mistakenly attacked by the anti-aircraft gunners on board the US tanker Gulf of Mexico which was in the Bristol Channel. Those on board didn’t have time to bail out and the Wellington caught fire before crashing into the sea a mile west of Scarweather Point, Porthcawl. The next day the USS Gulf of Mexico, docked at Milford Haven and claimed that it had carried out instructions in accordance with the CAMSI (Confidential Admiralty Merchant Shipping Instructions). This ship’s identification is questionable as I can’t find any trace of it on any of the American Navy or SS fleets listings!
Only two bodies were found immediately after the incident, these being the pilot and the 2nd pilot, P/O Jamieson, and P/O Haynes respectively. P/O Jamieson’s funeral took place on the 24th of August and at the family’s request, he was buried at his hometown of Bristol, P/O Rushton met the train conveying the body at Bristol Temple Meads station & represented the squadron at the funeral. P/O Haynes was buried the following day (25th), also at the request of NoK living in the UK at Preston, the squadrons representative was P/O Payne who also accompanied the body from Swansea.
The tides within this part of the British Isles are known as the SECOND highest in the world at 50 feet range. (The first being the Bay of Fundy channel in Newfoundland at 53 feet). Twice a day for ten hours, the tides travel at around 4 mph in deep water sending flotsam up and down stream, sometimes depositing along the coast, sometimes keeping them forever. On the 29th of August, the guard room at RAF Chivenor received a call from RAF Fairwood Common, that another body had been found washed up on Swansea beach and has been identified as P/O Fahrni. The staff at Fairwood took the body to be buried with honours at their own plot at Killay, he was buried on the 5th of September. That same day, Sgt Deacon was found washed up on Oxwich beach. He too was buried by the staff at Fairwood at Killay, 172 squadron was told that he too had full honours with the funeral taking place on the 8th of September. Meanwhile further upriver at Southerndown the same day again, the body of Sgt Mullins was found washed ashore by the local Home guard. 172 sqn’ took this burial on themselves. His NoK requested that he was to be buried at Macclesfield. F/Lt Mills the squadron Gunnery Officer represented the squadron at the funeral on the 12th of September. Thirty days later, on the 18th of September, AC1 Cross who was one of HX482 groundcrew, who only went on a ‘jolly’ was found washed up on Rhossilli beach by a member of the coastguard. The body was taken to ‘a local mortuary’ and was collected by RAF. His remains were also requested to be taken home to Aldershot. His funeral took place on the 23rd of September with the squadron representative being F/O Syer. Servicemen who lost their lives at home during the Second World War were often repatriated to their hometown to be buried, but this wasn’t the case for foreign men, they were often buried at the local cemetery/graveyard, for example St. Hilary’s, Killay. I applied for the death certificates of the three men who are laid to rest in St. Hilary’s. The results were very interesting. Fahrni’s couldn’t be found. Deacons was a military certificate giving the cause of death as an ‘aircraft accident’ and Dawes’ was an ordinary certificate, which stated that he died from multiple injuries and drowned due to accident whilst on Operational Flight. The sea being a cruel mistress, his body was located 160 degrees off Mumbles Head, west of Lundy Island. Unfortunately, when he was recovered, I failed to find but it wouldn’t have been pleasant. Sadly, the other passenger was a member of the Electronics Training Group of the USAAF was not recovered and is listed as missing, believed killed.
Crew:
P/O Gordon Cave Vincent Jamieson 19yo 118075 RAFVR. Pilot. Killed. 1
Son of Major Edward Herbert Vincent and Dorothy Edith Jamieson of Wandsworth Common, London.
P/O John Stewart Haynes 20yo J/8961 RCAF. 2n Pilot. Killed. 2
Son of the Revd’ Canon John Francis Haynes and Susanna Margret Haynes of Lloydminster Rectory, Saskatchewan, Canada.
P/O Ross Pringle Fahrni 21yo J/9903 RCAF. Obs’. Killed. 3
Son of Stanley Harrison Fahrni and Edith Josephine Fahrni, of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, Canada.
Sgt Edwin Thomas Arthur Deacon 25yo 919703 RAFVR. W/Op. Killed. 4
Son of Captain Alfred Ernest Deacon Royal Engineers & Lillie Jane Deacon, of Tilehurst, Reading.
Sgt Edgar Harold Dawe 23yo 798712 RAFVR. A/Gnr. Killed. 5
Son of George Gushue Dawe and Clara Hoyles Dawe, of Cupids, Newfoundland.
Sgt Jack Mullins 22yo 1051648 RAFVR. A/Gnr. Killed. 6
Ac1 Frederick Percy Charles Cross 19yo 1437654 RAFVR. G/Crew (Pass). Killed. 7
Son of Major Cross and Winifred Kate Cross, of Aldershot.
2lt David Henry Kaufman 26yo O-42864B USAAF. Electronics Training Group (pass). Missing. 8
From Ohio.
Buried:
1 Bristol (Canford) Cemetery. Section NN. Grave 56.
2 Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery. Section K. Grave 13257.
3 Killay (St Hilary) Churchyard. Grave 201.
4 Killay (St Hilary) Churchyard. Grave 202.
5 Killay (St Hilary) Churchyard. Grave 183.
6 Macclesfield Cemetery. Plot H. Grave 6418.
7 Aldershot Civil Cemetery. Section M. Joint Grave 15D.
8 Cambridge American Cemetery & Memorial.
Wreckage:
HX482 wreck remains in Swansea Bay, protected by The Protection of Military Remains Act, 1986. An underwater survey for the ‘predicted Swansea Barrier’ carried out during the early 00’s located three aircraft remains, two being of the single engine type (Spitfires) and the remains of HX482 which looked 70% intact apart from the expected erosion considering the length of time in seawater.
Sources:
1. Halley, J, 1989 Royal Air Force Aircraft HA100-HZ999, p112.
2. http://www.ggat.org.uk/timeline/pdf/Military%20Aircraft%20Crash%20Sites%20in%20Southeast%20Wales.pdf
3. https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/515828/details/vickers-wellington-viii-hx482
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2450709/jamieson,-gordon-cave-vincent/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2717282/deacon,-edwin-thomas-arthur/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2717283/fahrni,-ross-pringle/
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2717281/dawe,-edgar-harold/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2735811/mullins,-jack/
9. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?21356-Loss-of-Wellington-in-Irish-Sea-18the-or-19the-August-1942&p=124913&styleid=3
10. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=2670&page=66
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/11357038/ross-pringle-fahrni
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
www.rafcommands.com
www.rcafassociation.ca
www.theswanseabay.co.uk
www.cwgc.org
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-May-2019 22:55 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 16-May-2019 09:42 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 14-Jul-2022 05:40 | Davies 62 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation