HMS Eagle Aircraft 1957

Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.5 WV800 “J-187” of 806 Sqn, FAA RN crashed 15/8/1955: arrestor hook broke off on landing on HMS Eagle, aircraft thus failed to stop and went over the end of the flight deck of the carrier into the sea just off the port bow. Pilot Lt. Davey recovered safely from the crash.

At the time of the crash, HMS Eagle was in the Mediterranean Sea in joint exercises with three other carriers – HMS Albion and two American carriers – the USS Coral Sea and the USS Intrepid. All four carriers had sailed from Naples on 12/8/1955.

Series of pics on Air Britain

That fits looking a my dads service record he was on HMS Eagle twice May 1952 to May 1953 and Feb 1957 to June 1959.

He must have been in the Med during the Lebanon and Jordan Crisis. Does anyone have any photos or memories of ‘Eagle’ during this period in the eastern Med.

Any chance you could share some with an appreciative audience, bleeming?

Rob

I was there 🙂 Yes 804 Sqdn Seahawk. I watched the pilot get out and he sat on the wing before rescue. Ex. 804 mechanic. I have the same photos, + many more of this era 🙂 cya

Nice photo with Wyverns, Sea Hawks and the plane guard Dragonfly helicopter on deck!

Rob

Ian Tait Stewart – my favourite photo of Dad.[ATTACH=CONFIG]233868[/ATTACH]

Thanks more information than I expected, he would have been chuffed to see this discussion.
I thought wonder if he wrote on the back, but he did not , superb photos though sharp and 4 x 7 so he must have been given them. The coloured was hand coloured by him he did that a lot with his photos. Found 2 more Eagle he was on many others including Cockade in Korea.[ATTACH=CONFIG]233867[/ATTACH]

That’s more or less what I said in post #15. Interestingly although with 804 Sqn and coded as such, it carries the leaping cat insignia of 807 Sqn on the nose.

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This is Sub Lieutenant Griffiths in WV800 going over the side following a hook failure on the 15 August 1955. Thankfully he survived.

Slight thread drift…………..

Any memories of British Eagle airlines friendly connections with HMS Eagle. I believe visits went back and forth in around 1966?

The cockpit of which is now owned by the forums very own “HMS Vulture” !

The colour shot shows Sea Hawk F1 WF145, the third production Sea Hawk, during arrested landing and catapult trials in mid to late 1952 whilst with C Sqn A&AEE.

That fits looking a my dads service record he was on HMS Eagle twice May 1952 to May 1953 and Feb 1957 to June 1959.

Thanks for the info, I now recall when I was young looking at these and him telling me about the plane missing the cable.

i think these may show more than one incident, as one photo shows a Sea Hawk with a broken hook whilst the other sequence looks like a failed cat launch.
The Wyverns in photo three have the earlier folding wing tips, which I would say put these as pre 1956.!

Tin Triangle – I believe that what you think are Firebrands are actually Skyraiders parked at the rear.

Lovely photos by the way!

Rob

Don’t think so. The pilot of WV854 ejected at 1300 feet! More likely WV800, 187-J of 804 Sqn. Arrester wire broke and aircraft ditched over bows on 15 Aug 55.
Head on Eagle shot shows Supermarine Attacker F1s of 800 Sqn, De Havilland Sea Hornet NF21s of 809 Sqn, Fairey Firefly AS5s of 825 Sqn and Douglas Skyraider AEW1s of 849 Sqn. This dates it to 1953/54 (probably).

Nice photos! The first two (including the shot of your dad) are likely to significantly predate the others. Your dad is leaning on a Supermarine Attacker-these were withdrawn from carrier service by 1954. The second shot (the head-on view of the ship) also has Attackers, as well as Dh Sea Hornets and (I think) Blackburn Firebrands.

At about the time in question, I could be wrong but, I think that the Eagle was flying the Supermarine Attacker or Sea Hawk, the Westland Wyvern and the Fairey Gannet. I was serving on Malta at the time and I remember Grand Harbour awash with naval units of the Mediterranean fleet including the carriers Centaur and Bulwark.

Don’t know anything about an ‘incident’.

Could possibly be this incident, 803 Naval Air Squardron HMS Eagle 25/9/57. Hawker Sea hawk FGA6 WV854 J-146 Ditched in the Atlantic off Angola due to fire Warning Caused by fuel leak.

Nice pics Ross – welcome to the forum. Hopefully someone will know a bit more about this incident.

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