A-4 Skyhawk overboard.

I was an aircraft handler aboard HMAS Melbourne ’77-79. We lost an A-4 over the side during very heavy sea’s. I was part of the deck crew attempting a re-spot out of fly1 when a huge quartering swell rolled us savagely causing a tiedown chain to break and the nose gear to tear away from the tractor’s towing arm. I was sitting on the stbd mainwheel at the deck edge when it happened. The aircraft flipped over me and landed on its roof in the gun tub, then slid off the bofors to land in the sea wheels down. The brake rider climbed out throught the broken canopy suffereing severe lacerations and was picked up by rescue swimmer from a trailing DD.

Joe