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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0683.PDF
6" 29 1 19 THE QUEEN'S AIR FORCES. . A scene typical of Coastal Command. Sunderlands of 230 Squadron, five of which assisted in the British North Greenland Expedition in August, 1952. COASTAL COMMAND AN unexpected opening on to a quiet Middlesex lane some 50 miles from the sea presents passers-by with an arrest ing and unusual notice. "Headquarters Air Commander-in-Chief, Eastern Atlantic Area, Atlantic Command," it begins. "Headquarters Coastal Command, Royal Air Force," it continues. "Headquarters Allied Maritime Air Commander-in-Chief, Channel Command," it concludes. The unit to which these three descriptions apply is clearly an important place. The notice underlines the international responsibilities held by Coastal Command in 1953. Its Air Officer Commanding-in- Chief, Air Marshal Sir Alick C. Stevens, holds also the two NATO appointments mentioned above, and in fact most of the Command's Headquarters staff also "wear three hats"—one R.A.F. and two NATO. Within this international framework, the work of Coastal Command remains of extreme importance to an island country such as Britain in time of war; and in peacetime it provides effective and com prehensive services the existence of which is not generally appreciated. The Command's main tasks may be defined briefly as trade protection (merchant shipping protection and reconnaissance), meteorological reconnaissance and search and rescue. Under the embracing designation of "maritime recon naissance," the.Coastal squadrons of Sunderlands, Lancasters, Shackletons ana Neptunes continue to carry out the many specialized duties implied in these tasks. (The first three of these types are illustrated in our colour pages.) Organization of thj Command divides it into four components; 18 and 19 groups, with Headquarters at Pitreavie, Fife, and Plymouth respectively; R.A.F. Gibraltar, and Maritime Air Headquarters, Chatham. The primary roles are, of course, anti-submarine warfare and the protection of shipping; while meteorological and search and rescue work are secondary duties. The under-water range and speed of modern submarines are already much greater than those of the wartime U-boats, and so improved aircraft and equipment, and exceptionally thorough training, are required to combat these dangers. As submarines spend less time on the surface, the num ber of sightings decreases, and hence for adequate protection the number of kills per sighting must be improved. To this end, many exercises in anti-submarine and anti-surface vessel operations are carried out—in which the latest radar and other equipment is tested—in the closest co-operation with Naval units. The two-year expansion programme now being completed "Flight" photograph first Neptune squadron to be formed was No. 217. Here, squadron aircrews, ground crews and machines are pictured at a Scottish base. has resulted in a usefully increased amount of flying activity, and has run parallel with the introduction of newer types of aircraft, such as the Shackleton and the Neptune. Lancaster squadrons have been converting to these two types, and in addition new squadrons are being formed. During Exercise Mainbrace last year, Shackletons of 120 and 240 Squadrons and Sunderlands of 230 Squadron performed excellent fleet co-operation work, flying from Norwegian bases. Numerically it is the Shackletons which form the mainstay of the Coastal Command squadrons, including the only permanent overseas unit at Gibraltar, commanded by S/L. G. L. Mattey, D.F.C. The usefulness of the flying-boat, however, has never been in doubt in this Command, and the Sunderland squadrons, used for anti-submarine work, continue to justify this faith. One outstanding feat was the "Arctic Airlift" performed last August by five Sunderlands of 230 Squadron, under the command of S/'L. J. S. Higgins, D.F.C., A.F.C., in which 150 tons of stores, passengers and dogs were transported in support of the British North Greenland Expedition, in the face of extreme natural difficulties. Although the Sunderland continues to do good work, the development of a modern replacement flying-boat would seem to be a necessary step in the near future. The introduction of an American aircraft—the Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune—into Coastal Command has been enthusiast!-
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