Recovery of Highball from Loch Striven??

DONE

Done from Down Under.

Thanks Mark! 🙂

Signed up last week – but I understood it was another Upkeep being recovered! :confused:

The Highball topic reminds me of an early work encounter with a storeman back in 1977 / 78. He was always prone to exaggerate anything he told you, so when he told me of ‘Highball’ Mosquitoes being shipped to the Far East on HMS Fencer and HMS Striker – I immediately questioned the validity of his story!

I was suitably put in my place the following day when he showed me his pictures from on-board, with all the aircraft stored on deck. An interesting aside was that one of the vessels was sunk and that should have been the one he was on, but he had ‘suffered’ a very lucky mix-up with his posting!

This would be the RAF 618 Mosquito Hiball Squadron that was brought to Australia in January 1945 as part of the intended tiger force, one of their training aircraft, a FBVI still survives today in Australia.

“From Wiki”

For this role 25 Mosquito B.Mk.IVs were further modified:

Each aircraft was equipped with Merlin 25s, adapted to provide peak power at low altitudes, driving four-bladed Rotol propellers: these propellers had narrower blades than the standard three-bladed units, meaning that the engines would rev up faster and respond quicker to throttle movement, factors vital in the limited length of carrier take-offs.
Longer intakes under the engine cowlings were fitted with tropical filters.
The undercarriage legs were made of heavier-gauge metals and the wheels were fitted with the twin brake units of FB Mk VIs.
The rear fuselages were structurally modified with a special internal longeron and reinforced bulkheads designed to take the additional loads imposed by carrier landings: an additional bulkhead (No. 5a) was fitted.
Externally a “V-frame” arrestor hook was fitted. The “snap gear” which released the hook was operated by a Bowden cable from a lever mounted on the cockpit port side.
An access hatch was moved from the starboard rear fuselage to underneath, and an extra longitudinal stiffening strake, identical to that already fitted to the starboard side of production Mosquitos, was fitted to the port fuselage.
The tailwheel fork pivots incorporated end plates to avoid being caught in the arrestor cables.
Armoured windscreens were fitted, along with hydraulic wipers.
Three PR.Mk.XVIs, which were to be used for reconnaissance duties were also fitted with the four bladed propellers and fuselage modifications for carrier operations.
These Mosquitos were transported to Australia on board the carriers HMS Fencer and Striker, arriving on 23 December 1944. In order to keep up aircrew proficiency and safeguard the modified Mosquitos 12 disassembled FB Mk VIs were also sent, arriving in Sydney in February 1945. These were reassembled at de Havilland Australia’s Mascot factory. Once again, because of political-strategic infighting between the British Pacific Fleet and the U.S. military, the unit was never in action, and was disbanded at RAAF Narromine in July 1946.

The converted Mosquitos were stripped of all military equipment and sold off. The sole surviving 618 Squadron Mosquito, an FB. Mk.VI HR621, is currently undergoing restoration at the Camden Aviation Museum, NSW.[1]

Australian deployment
In January 1945 618 squadron was deployed to Australia, as Japanese targets for the Highball weapon were still available there. Arriving on 23 December 1944, the aircraft were sent to Fisherman’s Bend aircraft factory for reassembly. Training began at Narromine in February 1945. A detachment was sent to British Pacific Fleet base at Manus Island in March, but the squadron was unable to go into action against Japanese shipping, mostly because there was no target left in the area anymore. The squadron was therefore disbanded (officially) at Narromine on 14 July 1945.[2][

Regards

Mark Pilkington

Done
How about finding the sunken ship with the Highball Mossies on ?????

Perhaps his previous exaggerations were still in evidence; as both carriers seemed to have survived!! :confused:

There are references to the Highball Mosquitos on the HMS Fencer link below

http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/FENCER.htm

http://www.royalnavyresearcharchive.org.uk/ESCORT/STRIKER.htm

So what happened to the aircraft and munitions?

done

And another one…….

Done
How about finding the sunken ship with the Highball Mossies on ?????

Done/dusted.

Might aswell join you. done.

Done!

Done.

Done 🙂

Signed up last week – but I understood it was another Upkeep being recovered! :confused:

The Highball topic reminds me of an early work encounter with a storeman back in 1977 / 78. He was always prone to exaggerate anything he told you, so when he told me of ‘Highball’ Mosquitoes being shipped to the Far East on HMS Fencer and HMS Striker – I immediately questioned the validity of his story!

I was suitably put in my place the following day when he showed me his pictures from on-board, with all the aircraft stored on deck. An interesting aside was that one of the vessels was sunk and that should have been the one he was on, but he had ‘suffered’ a very lucky mix-up with his posting!

done…

Interesting idea.

ditto

Done