The 'Bismarck' Catalina

[bryanm]

There's a bit out there on the interweb that identifies the Cat that spotted the Bismarck as Mk I WQ-Z of 209 Squadron.  There are two opinions on the serial number: AH545 or W8406.  W8406 was used by Microscale (or Aeromaster?) on their decal sheet 72-039.

 

http://kiwimodeller.com/~kmodel/index.php/forum/37-aviation-showcase/29794-catalina-i

https://ws-clave.deviantart.com/art/Catalina-GB-209-Sqn-528962622

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?9353-Bismarck-sighting/page2

http://ww2today.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Catalina-Flying-boat-at-Lough-Erne.jpg

 

From the above it looks like AH545 is correct but I wonder where W8406 came from?

 

Any opinions?  Was the 'Z' code re-used?

 

 

[Seahawk]

Quite likely.  Be that as it may, Andrew Hendrie's Flying Cats - The Catalina Aircraft In World War II also gives the serial as AH545.

[iang]

Three Catalinas found Bismarck. Here's a condensed extract from unpublished book that Mark Horan have written on air attacks on Bismarck, based on Admiralty and RAF documents:

 

Two Catalina cross-over patrols were ordered from Lough Erne, with the object of locating the shadowing Bismarck and to remain on patrol until the limit of their endurance.  Both of these aircraft successfully made contact with the German battleship as she headed towards the French coast. Catalina AH.545: WQ-Z/209 Squadron took off at 0330 GMT on 26 May and was piloted by P/O Briggs with a crew of ten, including an American co-pilot, Ensign Leonard “B” Smith. Briggs. Z/209 got to the patrol area in about 6 hours, flying at an average speed of 95 knots. The conditions were 7/10^ths cumulus cloud at 1500 feet and misty with visibility of about 3 miles from 800 feet, but increased to about 8 miles at sea level.  The sea was rough due to a 30-knot NW wind.  At 1030 GMT a warship was sighted in position 49^o32’N, 21^o45’W. The Catalina jettisoned its depth charges and at 1030 Z/209 signalled in self-evident code “Battleship bearing 240, 5 miles from 49^o35’N, 21^o47’W.” The USN pilot was desperately trying to put Bismarck’s gunners off their aim by making ‘S’ turns and zigzagging while trying to gain height. Upon reaching the relative safety of 3,000 feet above the cloud, Z/209 headed away from the German battleship and at 1035 signalled “Enemy’s course and speed at 150, 20 knots.  My position is 49^o28’N, 21^o50’W.”  At 1100 Z/209 signalled, “Have lost touch with enemy battle fleet. Enemy’s last observed position was 49^o22’N, 21^o44’W at 1045” and at 1114 signalled again, “Hull holed by shrapnel, await instructions.” At 1150 Group signalled to Z/209 “Search and shadow as long as possible.”

 

At 1445 hours Z/209 met with the second Catalina from Lough Erne AH546: BN-M/240, which had been patrolling to the north of Z/209, but had been informed by Group at 1155 of the sighting of Bismarck by Z/209 and was instructed to go an assist. M/240 Squadron took off at 0420, 26 May, captained by P/O H. Godden. At 1325 though, the crew sighted a presumed enemy aircraft on a reciprocal course on a climbing turn, 600 feet below about 800 yards distant on the starboard beam. At 1345 M/240 signalled “Am being attacked by enemy aircraft, type unknown” In fact, these aircraft were Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal (it was noted by M/240 that the aircraft were single-engine biplanes with undercarriage).  It appears from press reports soon after the engagement that members of the crew of both these Catalinas believed that ‘fighters’ launched from Bismarck’s deck were attacking them. At 1328 M/240 found Bismarck, and made a sighting report at 1330, entered cloud and continued shadowing Bismarck until 1525, when Godden lost contact and signalled the battleship’s last known position.  In the meantime, at 1510 hours Z/209 had contacted M/240 and announced that it was returning to base.

 

After the sighting of Bismarck by Z/209 at 1045, 26 May, one Catalina equipped with long-range tanks from Oban was ordered to take off as soon as possible to search for and shadow after Z/209 lost touch, with further instructions to be given when the aircraft was airborne. The aircraft was captained by F/Lt Hatfield and had a crew of nine. This Catalina also embarked a USN observer, Ensign Carl W. Rinehart euphemistically referred to as an ‘Assistant Naval Attaché for Air’. Catalina W8416: O/210 Squadron was a new boat and with a full fuel load it had an endurance of over 30 hours.  Hatfield was given Bismarck’s position as of 0930 before he was airborne.  At 1223 GMT O/210 took off and at 1820 GMT, No 15. Group signalled that the “Enemy’s position at 1930 was 47^o40’N, 17^o15’W, course approximately 120 degrees, speed 22 knots.”  He recalls that he flying at a speed of 95 knots, but with an air speed of 115 knots due to a 20-knot headwind. When he arrived at Bismarck’s last known position, he failed to locate her, so in the 90 minutes of daylight remaining he commenced a square search, but visibility was decreasing as night approached. It got dark at about 2100 GMT and as it did so, Hatfield took the Catalina up to 2,000 feet, flying in and out of the low cloud layer.  At about 2130 GMT, he was on the seventh leg of his search, which he had carried out on the assumption that Bismarck was heading for Brest at 22 knots, and had given up all hope of finding Bismarck that night.  After making preparations for an exhaustive search in the morning, at 2140 GMT, while taking a final look around in the gloaming, Hatfield caught a glimpse of a large warship over his left shoulder. He shouted to the crew through the intercom, “It’s the Bismarck!”, and a few moments later in the next open patch of sky, he pushed the second pilot into his seat (as he could not see the ship from where he was sitting) and made off aft to send a sighting report.

 

When Hatfield had got about five miles away from Bismarck, he handed over to his second pilot and told him to keep out of range and fly around the Bismarck on a square of ten mile legs.  He then went off to make his sighting report, but was informed by the wireless operator that his signals were not being answered.  They both quickly realised that this was because the main aerial had been shot away from its mounting and was responsible for the banging on the metal sides of the hull.  This had been the only damage caused by Bismarck’s flak and was circumvented in about half an hour by letting out the trailing aerial.  At 2344 GMT O/210 signalled “One large vessel, 270 distance two miles approximately, course 110 position 47^o45’N, 14^o48’W.”  At this stage, there was still some doubt in Hatfield’s mind whether he had found Bismarck or Prinz Eugen, because his sighting reported added “uncertain whether Battleship or Cruiser”.  In the dark, the Catalina climbed to 8,000 feet to get an Astro fix.  Hatfield saw Bismarck, moving slowly and rolling from the effect of the 30-knot wind on her beam. At 0113 hours on 27^th May, O/210 signalled “Still in touch, position 47^o40’N, 13^o30’W. Geographical position uncertain.” Hatfield remained in the vicinity for the rest of the night, and was a witness to Vian’s destroyer attacks, as Bismarck was sporadically illuminated by star shells and gunfire.  At 0240 he signalled, “Aircraft in position 47^o47’N, 12^o54’W. Gunfire noticed about ten or fifteen miles away.” and at 0300 “Course and speed unobtainable. Position checked by gunfire.”  Hatfield could only estimate Bismarck’s position from her flak and staying in touch at night proved too difficult without the advantage of ASV radar and at 0404 Hatfield signalled “Have lost touch with enemy. Enemy’s last observed position was 47^o52’N, 12^o50’W at 0236 hours.”  At dawn Hatfield commenced another square search for the German battleship, but O/210 never regained contact with Bismarck.  The Catalina encountered a Blohm and Voss floatplane in position 47^o40’N, 10^o20’W at about 0930 hours.  Hatfield tried to intercept it, but the Luftwaffe plane was a good 20 knots faster on that day. At about 1000 hours Hatfield realised that he had only just enough fuel to get home.  O/210 made landfall at Fastnet Rocks on the South West coast of Ireland, crept up the coast and landed back at Oban at 1428 after a flight of 26 hours, 13 minutes with only about 100 gallons of petrol to spare.   

Edited February 9, 2018 by iang

[JWM]

It looks that W8406 was also in 209 Sq, at least the photo in link  is described this way

https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/aircrafts-2-3/pby/catalina-i-w8406-209-sqn-jan41/

But on this photo is described as machine of 4 th Coastal OTU

 

Regarding scheme.

I am not sure how it was with US-produced machines. The W8406 is even, but AH545 is odd. Should they have mirror camo or not?

BTW - on colour profiles of WQ-Z (eithe as W8406 or Ah545) the pattern  is presented with some freedom:

 

 

The real thing photo (orto film!)

and panchromatic:

Here another machine and different pattern... - suggesting that mirror odd-even  existed

 

Any expert clarification will be welcomed

Cheers

J-W

 

 

Edited April 20, 2019 by JWM

[JWM]

P.S..

Mybe this is also WQ-Z? 

[Black Knight]

May I say something? This is not just being pedantic but it may affect your research.

There is - was - no place called RAF Lough Erne. 

There were three main seaplane/flying boat bases on Lough Erne. Lower Lough Erne, there is an Upper and Lower Lough Erne.

They were Castle Archdale, Killadeas and St. Angelo

AFAIR [and I'm usually wrong] 209 sqd was mainly based at Castle Archdale. Their Cats mingled with the Sunderlands there, but 209 had some Cats at Killadeas as well.

Upper Lough Erne was not used as there are too many shallows, small islands and the border runs through part of it

[2wheels]

On 4/21/2019 at 12:06 AM, Black Knight said:

May I say something? This is not just being pedantic but it may affect your research.

There is - was - no place called RAF Lough Erne. 

There were three main seaplane/flying boat bases on Lough Erne. Lower Lough Erne, there is an Upper and Lower Lough Erne.

They were Castle Archdale, Killadeas and St. Angelo

AFAIR [and I'm usually wrong] 209 sqd was mainly based at Castle Archdale. Their Cats mingled with the Sunderlands there, but 209 had some Cats at Killadeas as well.

Upper Lough Erne was not used as there are too many shallows, small islands and the border runs through part of it

 

To quote the David J Smith book, Action Stations 7: RAF Castle Archdale was ' renamed RAF Lough Erne on Air Ministry orders on Februray 18 [1941] (The title was to revert to Castle Archdale in Januray 1943.)'

Smith's information is correct as Air Ministry and Ministry of Defence: Operations Record Books, Royal Air Force Stations reference No. AIR 28/497 held in TNA Kew is titled:  'LOUGH ERNE: later renamed Castle Archdale'

With AIR 28/498 through to AIR 28/500 also being 'Lough Erne'   

Incidentally, I have a copy of the Senior Medical Officers report from 'RAF Station Lough Erne' which also refers to the Location as 'Castle Archdale', but not 'RAF Castle Archdale'.

Evidently, both titles could even be used, regardless of official designation.     

 

However, St Angelo was an airfield and not a flying boat base, although fairly close to Killdeas geographically. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by 2wheels

[JWM]

I think I have found answer if Catalinas 1 have odd/even mirror style camos (all photos from web page http://silverhawkauthor.com/canadian-warplanes-3-the-second-world-war-and-postwar-boeing-canada-pb2b1-catalina-and-canadian-vickers-pbv1a-canso-a-_723.html

even serial:

 

Odd serial

 

On photo below the bottom of rear part of fuselage is sky, on majority of profiles it is depicted in upper camo overlying bottom part. This is Vicers build machine and has other discrepencies with above "odd" example of Boeing-build one

 

 

Cheers

J-W