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Re: HMS Stag
Posted by:
Nick Orange
()
Date: June 21, 2007 03:21PM
Found some papers clearing out my father in law's house that he must have typed up whilst he was dying of cancer about 15 years ago. He did 4 pages on his service as a Sub-lieutenant in the RNVR.
After being torpedoed on HMS Welshman, he did 3 months on HMS Woolwich in Alex (destroyer repair ship), then;-
"In June 1943 was attached to HMS Stag (N.O.I.C.) (Naval Officer in Charge. Suez) and until Oct '44, lived at the RAF station in Shallifa some 15 miles North of Suez as Naval Liaison Officer.
My job principally was to set up practice targets (captured Italian Destroyers) in the Bay of Suez for the pilots from Shallufa who were highly qualified airmen and were perfecting a technique of dropping torpedoes from their Beaufort fighter bombers. They would approach the targets at "zero" feet to avoid radar, and when in range, climb to the requisite height to drop their "fish" and then down to "zero" feet again to avoid the enemy gunfire. Having mastered the technique in daylight, they then developed it further for night time use, in combination with Wellington aircraft.
The Wellingtons would drop flares and illuminate the targets, and the Beuaforts would come in from the dark side to attack the targets in the same way as in daylight. Very effective, but very dangerous, and many fatal accidents were incurred."
Hopefully this will give you an idea of the type of activities that the HMS stag servicemen were involved in.
Regards,
Nick Orange
After being torpedoed on HMS Welshman, he did 3 months on HMS Woolwich in Alex (destroyer repair ship), then;-
"In June 1943 was attached to HMS Stag (N.O.I.C.) (Naval Officer in Charge. Suez) and until Oct '44, lived at the RAF station in Shallifa some 15 miles North of Suez as Naval Liaison Officer.
My job principally was to set up practice targets (captured Italian Destroyers) in the Bay of Suez for the pilots from Shallufa who were highly qualified airmen and were perfecting a technique of dropping torpedoes from their Beaufort fighter bombers. They would approach the targets at "zero" feet to avoid radar, and when in range, climb to the requisite height to drop their "fish" and then down to "zero" feet again to avoid the enemy gunfire. Having mastered the technique in daylight, they then developed it further for night time use, in combination with Wellington aircraft.
The Wellingtons would drop flares and illuminate the targets, and the Beuaforts would come in from the dark side to attack the targets in the same way as in daylight. Very effective, but very dangerous, and many fatal accidents were incurred."
Hopefully this will give you an idea of the type of activities that the HMS stag servicemen were involved in.
Regards,
Nick Orange
Subject | Written By | Posted |
---|---|---|
HMS Stag | Frank Bellairs | 04/26/2003 04:09PM |
Re: HMS Stag | David | 04/27/2003 06:24AM |
Re: HMS Stag | Frank Bellairs | 04/27/2003 12:54PM |
Re: HMS Stag | Nick Orange | 06/21/2007 03:21PM |
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