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| RAAF No. 11 Squadron   Kevin Coombs 2013  ADF 2016 |
Captain Wing Commander John "Jack" William Daniell, 140 (MIA / KIA) Mount Lawley, WA 2nd Pilot Sqn/Ldr Eric Hamilton Barkley, 250281 (MIA / KIA) Malvern, VIC Navigator Flying Officer Lewis "Lou" Melvin Dunham, 406672 (MIA / KIA) Claremont, WA 1st Engineer Sergeant Norman Notley Moore, 408861 (MIA / KIA) Balwyn, VIC 2nd Engineer Corporal John Corbett Stain, 2437 (MIA / KIA) Mount Lawley, WA 1st W/T Sgt Allen Richard Eather, 402703 (MIA / KIA) Enmore, NSW 2nd W/T Sgt Alexander Eric John Elsbury, 415378 (MIA / KIA) East Perth, WA Rigger Sgt John Daniel O'Grady, 5778 (MIA / KIA) St. Kilda, VIC Armourer Corporal Douglas Giffen Shaw Russell, 13970 (MIA / KIA) Footscray, VIC Supernumerary Sergeant Keith Arnold Watson, 22692 (MIA / KIA) Lismore, NSW Supernumerary F/O Stuart Patrick King, 255266 20 Squadron Intel (MIA / KIA) Glen Iris, VIC Crashed February 28, 1943 Aircraft History Built by Consolidated as Model 28-5MC at San Diego. Constructors number 273. Royal Air Force (RAF) serial number V9708. Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) serial number VA708. Ferried overseas to Australia. Wartime History On April 14, 1942 delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as PBY-5 Catalina serial number A24-25. Assigned to No. 11 Squadron on May 18, 1942. No known nickname or nose art. Mission History On February 28, 1943 at dusk took off from Cairns Harbor Seaplane Base piloted by Wing Commander John W. Daniell on a seventeen hour anti-submarine patrol to escort a convoy bound for Milne Bay. At 10:51pm, this Catalina sent an incomplete message received at Townsville that contained the words "force land". Nothing more was heard and when this Catalina failed to return the entire crew was listed as Missing In Action (MIA). On the ground, RAAF personnel reported that an aircraft had been seen circling Fitzroy Island east-southeast of Cairns. They reported that an aircraft rounded Cape Grafton and disappeared in a north easterly direction. This information led to an incorrect conclusion that the Catalina may have force landed in the sea northeast of Green Island. The Court of Inquiry recorded this Catalina crashed at sea while attempting to land due to fuel exhaustion. In fact, this Catalina crashed into the sea off the Frankland Islands, near Gordonvale. Search A three day search for this Catalina was unsuccessful. There were no witnesses and no sightings of wreckage or crew during subsequent searches. Wreckage During early August 2013, Kevin Coombs a SCUBA diver from Cairns discovered the remains of a Catalina flying boat in about 40 meters of water off the Frankland Islands, near Gordonvale. The Frankland Islands are about 40 kilometers north-northeast of Innisfail. Afterwards, the wreckage was reported to the RAAF, who planned an investigation of the Catalina. During August 2015, RAAF Air Force investigators and a representative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority accompanied a Navy Clearance Dive Team from HMAS Cairns dove the wreckage to confirm the aircraft was Catalina A24-25. On September 21, 2015 a Australian Department of Defence news release "WWII Catalina aircraft wreckage confirmed" confirmed the wreckage was Catalina A24-25. According to the RAAF, they intend to leave the aircraft where it lies as a mark of respect to the crew whose remains are likely to be entombed in the wreckage. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority in consultation with Air Force has declared the site a Maritime Cultural Heritage Special Management Area in order to protect it. Air Force will hold a memorial service and place a commemorative plaque in Cairns to honour the crew early next year. Memorials The entire crew was officially declared dead on the day of the mission. All are memorialized at Bomana Cemetery on the Port Moresby Memorial, panel 9. On February 28, 2016 Australian Department of Defence conducted a memorial service at the Catalina Memorial on the Cairns Esplanade in Cairns for family members. The ceremony began with the flyby of a AP-3C Orion from 11 Squadron. A memorial plaque was placed at the Catalina Memorial honoring the crew. The memorial plaque reads:
References RAAF Status Card A-24-25 ADF Serials - Catalina A24-25 CWGC - John William Daniell CWGC - Eric Hamilton Barkley CWGC - Lewis Melvin Dunham CWGC - Norman Notley Moore CWGC - John Corbett Stain CWGC - Allen Richard Eather CWGC - Alexander Eric John Elsbury CWGC - John Daniel O'Grady CWGC - Douglas Giffen Shaw Russell CWGC - Keith Arnold Watson CWGC - Stuart Patrick King Oz@War "28 February 1943 crash of Catalina in the sea near Frankland Island off Gordonvale, QLD" Vimeo - WWII Wreck "Diving the Catalina Boat Plane" video by Cairns Wreck and Tech June 23, 2015 Australian Department of Defence news release "WWII Catalina aircraft wreckage confirmed" September 21, 2015 Australian Department of Defense news release "Closure for Catalina Families" February 29, 2016 Australian Department of Defense Catalina A24-25 memorial service photo archive Thanks to Greg Williams and Daniel Leahy for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated June 26, 2024 |
 Catalina  MIA 11 Missing  Photo Archive  33.5m |
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