eBay: Hawker Hurricane

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That's a lovely photograph.

Isn't it typical that the aircraft serial number is obscured? It would be nice to identify both the aircraft and CAM ship.

By the way, that is not a Fleet Air Arm aircraft, it is a Royal Air Force aircraft.

Almost all the pilots came from the RAF, and were trained by the Merchant Ship Fighter Unit (MSFU) at Speke which was responsible to and run by the RAF's Fighter Command. The Fighter Direction Officers were usually naval men. Sub-Lieutenant John Pickwell later remembered.

"We tried in the MSFU to forget inter service rivalries, and pilots and FDOs exchanged top tunic buttons as a compliment to each other. But differences in temperament were not so easily swopped, and this was particularly noticeable in port. The pilots went ashore and stayed there whenever they could, while the FDOs were generally content to remain on board. Unlike the FDOs, the pilots could never think of the ship as their home."

On 24th February 1943 Portal suggested to Pound that the emergency for which the MSFU had been formed was over, and the time had come for the RAF to pull out. Pound agreed, replying that he fully agreed and that,

"this commitment, if it is to be continued, should be borne by the Admiralty, as it is essentially naval in character".

Soon afterwards, with escort and merchant aircraft carriers coming into service in greater numbers, all of whose airmen and aircraft were from the Fleet Air Arm, a date for the disbandment of the MSFU was set for 15th July. When HQ Fighter Command finally informed Speke that the MSFU was to be disbanded it enclosed a gracious note from the Admiralty:

"My Lords would like to express their great appreciation of the services rendered by the RAF in providing this valuable defence for our convoys, and it is with great regret that they are now forced to recommend that this association of the RAF with the Merchant Navy should be brought to an end."

You can't say fairer than that.

Cheers

Steve
 
Really a nice shot. However the same image can be found on : 3rd August 1941: The first Condor shot down by a Hurricat. Also it was posted in the thread page 2 post #28.

Steve
According to the caption of the pic above on the mentioned site that's the Hurricane MK.I, V6733, on the steam-catapult of Catapult Armed Merchantman (CAM ship) SS EMPIRE DARWIN in the Mediterranean, while heading for North Africa in a convoy. The enlarged shot seems to confirm the serial.



The another picture with the Hurricane and info I found on the 25th May 1942: Convoy PQ16 comes under air attack

 
I guess somebody took some nice photographs of the aircraft on Empire Darwin.

The CAM ship which sailed with PQ16 was the 7,457 ton Empire Lawrence. The linked article gets that correct.

"Meantime the catapult Hurricane on the Empire Lawrence had leaped swiftly into the air, in pursuit of the dive-bombers."

The 'dive bombers' were a mixture of Ju 88s dropping bombs, the interception of which was difficult for the Hurricane, and He 111 torpedo bombers, at which the Hurricane had a far better chance.

The senior pilot was South African Al Hay and the FDO was Leo Powell. Hay did eventually launch, shot down one He 111 and damaged another before parachuting into the sea. He spent a mere six minutes in the water before being picked up by the destroyer Volunteer. Just as well as his dinghy had been holed and he had been wounded in the thigh.

Cheers

Steve
 
Afficianados of the Hurricane may like these next pics which came from a discussion on Britmodeller.

We're accustomed to Battle of Britain Hurricanes being rather boring birds from a colour perspective- brown and green with black spinners. The limited variations are black/white undersides for pre-July airframes and the occasional variation in roundel and/or code letter sizing.

So...take a look at these beasts belonging to 601 Sqn RAuxAF:

Black/white undersides but with white painted panel under the cowling with the Sqn's winged sword applied. Note also individual aircraft code letter 'H' on the wing roots:


Colour still from a contemporary film showing the winged sword in red under the cowling. Note also full-sized fin flash and yellow surround to the port underwing roundel:


This one is 'UF-A' but note the additional M and X to make "mAx" on the wing root (believed to be the personal aircraft of Max Aitken:


Here's another pic of "mAx", this time in colour:


Saving the best for last, while the quality isn't great the content is awesome (IMHO). WE have a red/white/blue spinner, a red/white light flash down the fuselage side and, just visible, the winged sword emblem on the white section of the fin (this is visible on other 601 Sqn Hurricanes so, although it's not very clear, that's absolutely the marking):


The Auxilliaries did retain a flair all their own!!!
 
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