At 1758 hours on 13 December 1943 Sunderland G.R.Mk.111 (DV961) of No.461 (RAAF) Sqd, flown by Squadron Leader Samuel R. Wood, from Hamworthy, Dorset, was about 75 miles north-west of the nprth-westerly tip of Spain when a U-boat was spotted on the surface. Wood climbed into cloud at 6,000 feet, turned and dived to attack. The bomb distributor was unserviceable and the depth charges were released in a slavo instead of a stick. The U-boat, which was a large ocean-going type, was covered in spray but did not appear to have been damaged. The tail and mid-upper gunners of the Sunderland fired many rounds at it. The U-boat fired back but did not score any hits. There is no record of a U-boat sunk or damaged on that day. Ref: CN 1/36
