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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1046.PDF
474 FLIGHT, 18 April 1952 No. 201 SQUADRON R. A. F •. . and the Admiralty Assessment Committee said "The U-boat is known sunk." Half was awarded to Sunderland H/201 and half to H.M.S. Hesperus and Havelock. Sightings were made right up to the end of the war on May 8th, and it is interesting to record that in an attack by "B" on the 6th the submarine was assessed as slightly damaged; that this was confirmed later when the U-boat surrendered. On the day after V.E. Day "V" intercepted and escorted the surrendered submarine U.i 105, Black Panther. Even after the close of hostilities patrols had to be flown, and in some cases depth charges were dropped on what were thought to be submerged submarines. On the 14th, "F" assisted in escorting eight surrendered U-boats and the last war patrol was flown on June 3rd by "Z", with the commanding officer, W/C. Barrett, as captain. With their principal raison d'etre ended, No. 201 turned to ferrying work—Bergen, Murmansk, Lisbon and Cairo all appear in the records. In a tremendous "Balbo" the Sunderlands flew in formation from Castle Archdale to Pembroke Dock to take up residence in South Wales once more. At the end of hostilities in the Far East there came the gradual whittling-down of the squadron by the posting and demobilization, a process which all units experienced. A peace-time highlight for the squadron was the training and goodwill tour during July and August last year. Jamaica, Bermuda and Norfolk, Virginia, were all visited and stops made on the way at Reykjavik, Iceland, and Argentia, Newfoundland. The squadron embarked in four Sunderlands, with the commanding officer, S/L. Rumbold, in "E" and Lt. Cdr. Decker in "A," while "C" was flown by F/L. Simmonds and "W" by F/L. Ramsden. For the whole of the first leg to Iceland the aircraft kept in V.H.F. contact. Quite exceptional weather conditions were experienced: as the island was approached the Greenland ice-cap at Vatnajokull was sighted at over 100 miles' distance. This caused some rapid Commanding Officers of No. 201 Squadron, 1929-1952 S/L. D. G. Donald S/L. E. F. Turner S/L. C. G. Wigglesworth S/L. J. D. Breakey W/C. J. H. O. Jones W/C. C. H. Cahill W/C. C. S. Riccard W/C. W. G. Abrams W/C. J. L. Crosbie W/C. J. B. Burnett W/C. R. E. G. Van der Kiste ... W/C. K. R. Coatet W/C. J. Barrett W/C. J. W. Louw W/C. W. H. Tremear W/C. J. L. Crosbie S/L. D. H. F. Horner S/L. R. C. L. Parkhouse S/L. H. A. S. Disney S/L. P. A. S. Rumbold 1-1-29 20-1-30 8-5-33 1-4-3S 20-9-37 1-2-39 18-8-40 15-4-41 23-12-41 19-8-42 4-5-43 15-7-44 22-2-4S 26-8-45 21-3-46 5-5-47 1-9-47 27-1-49 7-2-50 4-12-50 Goodwill visit. Two of the four No. 201 Squadron Sunderlands at Kingston, Jamaica, during the American tour in 1951. figure-checking to be performed by the navigators concerned. The four boats left in daylight at 0200 hr on July 14th for New foundland and found bad weather for part of the way. At one time the captains of "W" and "C" thought that head-winds would cause them to run out of fuel, but conditions improved and a land fall made after 15 hours' flying. Engine trouble delayed "E" at Argentia, but eventually all four aircraft arrived together in formation over Kingston, Jamaica, on July 17th. During the four days which the crews spent on the island the residents took much trouble to entertain them, and the same thing happened when, on July 21st, they arrived in Bermuda. With W/C. Brookes, a member of the British Joint Services Mission in Washington, who had joined the flight as liaison officer, S/L. Rumbold, paid official calls on the Governor and Service com manders, both American and British. A co-operation exercise with the Americans was staged on the 24th and the aircrews were interchanged, the Americans flying in the Short Sunderlands and the British in Martin Mariners. At a parade on July 27th, the squadron was presented with a plaque depicting Bermuda's armorial bearings, a gift from the people to the unit. On the same day the flying-boats left for the American naval base at Norfolk, Virginia, being escorted by four Mariners for the last part of the journey. In order that anti-submarine exercises might be carried out with the American Navy, the programme was extended for a further three days, but on Friday, August 3rd, the Sunderlands left for Argentia in perfect weather, passing Atlantic City, New York, Nantucket and Nova Scotia. A hurricane warning caused a delay of a few hours, but all the flying-boats were airborne by 2100 hr on the following Monday. Iceland was reached by 0730 the next morning and, after a quick refuel, the boats took off for the last leg at 1300. By 2015 all four Sunderlands were once more safely waterborne at Pembroke Dock. The future of No. 201 Squadron is the subject of much specu lation by members of the unit. Good as they are, the obsolete Sunderlands must eventually be replaced. Will all these highly trained "aerial seamen" be given landplanes to fly? Only time can tell. No. 201 Squadron in 1952. The officers in the front row are: F/0. B. C. Day (Adjutant), F/O. £. W. Willey, FjO. N. Allin, F/L D. S. Dickins, S/L P. A. S. Rumbold (Commanding Officer), F/L J. R. Ramsden A.F.C. (Flight Commander), F/L J. Webster, F/L. P. Gill, F/O D. J. Perry.
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