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Regarding Hawker Sea Fury WJ236


Jim Kiker

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Hi all,

 

As the title implies, I am looking for markings information for Sea Fury WJ236.  On one of my trips across the pond to Telford, I picked up a book on the Sea Fury written by Tony Buttler.  I think I should have bought it at the time because I believe it contained information on this airframe.  I made a few notes on a piece of paper, but alas, the notes seem to have disappeared.  If you have this book, would you mind checking through it for this aircraft?  And of course, if I have the reference wrong, information from other sources would be welcome as well!

 

Thanks in advance, Jim

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4 hours ago, Jim Kiker said:

was one of the sources the Buttler book

Yes and the other was the Air Britain Fleet Air Arm tome.

I never noticed the colour of the underwing serials in that photo when I first read the book.

Were they white?

If so why do you think it differed from the norm?

RG

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Hi Richard,

 

Actually, I have no idea what color those underwing serials are.  As to why the white/light serial colors, nothing useful comes to mind.  If you apply logic, which always gets me into trouble, then maybe it has to do with the reconnaissance camera in the right hand fuel tank.  That is a forward oblique camera set up, meaning that you won't be taking pictures from altitude.  Rather, you will be pretty low to the ground.  Therefore, normal dark codes would be much easier to spot than those very light ones.  But I did say this is logic, not evidence!  And did you notice that there are no Korean theater stripes on her, at least not visible in the picture?  Odd to say the least.  I wonder what her story was?

 

Cheers, Jim

 

 

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Somebody with more knowledge will be along shortly !

Britmodeller rarely fails to answer and it never ceases to amaze me just how much detailed information the guys and guyesses on here come up with.

Did you see Airfix are to release a 1/48 one next year?

Richard

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On 08/11/2016 at 1:16 PM, Scimitar said:

From a couple of sources:

She entered service as 155R of 801 Squadron

then 168 O of 807 Squadron

back to 801 coded R

SOC 13.12.56 and sold to Hawkers then scrapped at Blackpool

Hope this helps

 

Richard

 

Jim,

 

Scimitar refers to WJ236 as being 168 O of 807 squadron.

 

She flew off HMS ocean during the Korean war - or around that period of time - which is when my father served aboard HMS Ocean asa yeoman of Signals. I ve a couple of privately printed books about the tours Ocean did in the Korean war, so I'll have a look in them to see if there are any references to WJ 236.

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Hello Whofan,

 

At the moment I am interested in modeling WJ236 based on at least one existing photograph, when she was coded as 155 R from 801 Sqn; however, I am also curious to see what information you may turn up from the tours carried out by HMS Ocean.  Thank you for the gracious offer to have a look through them!

 

Cheers, Jim

 

And for Richard, I've been collecting kits in 1/48 scale (Trumpeter and Hobby Craft), various resin parts, and thinking about that forward oblique camera in the picture of WJ236 for some time.  In one swoop, I may be able to sweep all those problems aside and go directly to that Airfix Sea Fury.  You bet I know about it!

 

Cheers, Jim

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I have gone through every book I have which even remotely concerns the Sea Fury and I have yet to find another photograph of a Royal Navy one with white (? question mark given the :worms: in trying to identify colours from a black and white photo)

underwing serials.

I could also only find one picture of WJ236 (same pic in Butler's book and 'from the Cockpit')

Looking at that picture it is difficult to say if the port underwing serial is also white but although you cannot make out the detail there is a lightness there which could be the serial.

Unfortunately the fuselage serial number ,'Royal Navy' marking and code number cannot be seen. I wonder if they were black or were also white.

There doesn't appear to be much on that camera pod either.

 

Any Sea Fury experts out there?

Richard

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Hi Richard,

 

Well, it is a puzzlement!  Thank you for digging further into your references; too bad there seems to be only the one picture.  I do think that white is the likely color for those underwing serials; I cannot think of anything else that would show up against Sky well enough to be visible. 

 

Oddly enough at least to me, the aircraft numbers on the main wheel covers remain in black.  I'd bet that the fuselage marking remained in black as well, but that is only my thought.  I wonder- are there any other pictures of 801 Sqn aircraft to be found?  If so, we could make a reasonable guess on the fuselage and tail markings based on what could be seen on other sqn aircraft.  Anyone else?

 

Thanks again, Jim

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  • 1 year later...

 

 coming back to WJ 236 as one of the Airfix kit subjects. I'd love to do mine with Korean stripes. I assume this airframe may have have worn them at some stage, but while I've found pictures of 804 Sqn Furies with stripes on HMS Glory I haven't seen any similar images for 801 Sqn machines. Anybody ?

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On ‎05‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 1:54 AM, FalkeEins said:

any similar images for 801 Sqn machines.

In the book 'With the Carriers in Korea' by John RP Lansdown is this photo.

 

97e1777c-ae21-4a74-9fa8-8bf89d0d012d.jpg

It is not captioned as an 801 aircraft but is on page 352 which is in the chapter about HMS Glory 8/11/52 to 19/5/53 when she was on operations in Korean waters with 801 embarked.

A starting point perhaps.?

In the book 'Sea Fury from the Cockpit' there is a photo of an 801 Sea Fury flying off HMS Glory immediately after the cessation of hostilities. She has no stripes then so as to whether they were removed quickly or never applied (at least to that airframe) I don't know.

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  • 1 year later...
On 4/6/2018 at 10:27 AM, Scimitar said:

In the book 'Sea Fury from the Cockpit' there is a photo of an 801 Sea Fury flying off HMS Glory immediately after the cessation of hostilities. She has no stripes then so as to whether they were removed quickly or never applied (at least to that airframe) I don't know.

Hi @Scimitar, it's been a while since you posted this, but I'm doing research for my current Sea Fury build and found your post.

 

I have Neil MacCart's book 'HMS Glory' and from the photos it seems possible that in the early days of the Korean conflict Sea Furys started off with B&W 'invasion' stripes, but left them off later?

 

I've just ordered 'With the Carriers in Korea' by John RP Lansdown (£12.50 - Abe Books) so that might help. Cannot find any copies of the book 'Sea Fury from the Cockpit', which is odd. Is that the correct title? Would it be possible for you to let me know the author's name?

 

Thanks,

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From the Cockpit is the name of the series of book on FAA postwar aircraft.  Leave it off the search title or look separately for the series.

 

I would assume that any FAA aircraft in action in the Korean War would have carried these stripes.  They were certainly carried on Triumph at the start and on Sydney near the end.  I suspect photos lacking them were taken either before or after Glory's tour.  Or of course on replacement aircraft arriving on the carrier in Sasebo(?) prior to being painted up - but then they'd lack unit markings too.  The stripes would not have been carried for the entire duration of the war but just for the duration of the tour.

 

I must admit not having found Cart's books useful for modelling.  However from all sources other than dedicated aviation titles (and not even then) be careful about making assumptions about the dating of photos.  Just because it is placed adjacent to some text need not imply any direct relevance .  Such would be an ideal but is not always practical - or even perhaps considered.

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1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

I would assume that any FAA aircraft in action in the Korean War would have carried these stripes.

Yes, I always assumed so too

 

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

However from all sources other than dedicated aviation titles (and not even then) be careful about making assumptions about the dating of photos.

Very true

 

1 hour ago, Graham Boak said:

From the Cockpit is the name of the series of book on FAA postwar aircraft.  Leave it off the search title or look separately for the series

Tried that. Do you know who wrote the Sea Fury one? Help narrow the search.

 

Thanks,

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On 8/31/2019 at 5:51 PM, Johnson said:

Tried that. Do you know who wrote the Sea Fury one? Help narrow the search.

 

Alan J Leahy

From The Cockpit No. 12: Sea Fury.  

ISBN 978 0 946958 73 3  

Published 2010 by Ad Hoc Publications

 

 

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