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| RAAF Former Assignments Qantas Empire Airlines (QEA) |
Pilot Captain Lewis R. Ambrose (WIA) Northbridge, NSW First Officer Capt. R. Brooke Tapp Passenger 1/Lt Edward O. Hubbard Passenger Pvt Woodrow W. Ravenscroft Passenger ? (MIA) Passenger ? (MIA) Passengers +8 members of 102nd Coast Artillery Crashed March 22 1942 Aircraft History Built by Short in Rochester, Kent United Kingdom as S.23 Empire Flying Boat. Constructors Number 848. Registered in the United Kingdom as G-AEUF operated by Imperial Airways London. In Australia operated by Qantas Empire Airlines (QEA). Nicknamed "Corinthian". Wartime History At the start of the Pacific War, pressed into service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). This aircraft was never assigned a RAAF serial number and continued to use the civilian call sign operated by her Qantas aircrew. On February 27, 1942 in the afternoon with S.23 "Circe" G-AETZ arrived Tjilatjap on Java. On March 1, 1942 took off piloted by Orm Denny on a flight to Truscott to rescue the six crew and passengers of C-53 41-20066 that force landed near Truscott three days earlier. Mission History On March 22 1942 took off from Brisbane (Karumba) piloted by Captain Lewis R. Ambrose transporting twelve members of the U.S. Army 102nd Coastal Artillery plus their weapons and equipment on a flight bound for Darwin Harbor. While attempting to land in Darwin Harbor, the flying boat apparently landed ahead of flare path and struck debris, possibly a submerged log and broke apart and sank two nautical miles from Doctors Gully. After the crash, Tapp reentered the hull and searched for survivors. Two enlisted men [names unknown] of 102nd Coastal Artillery died in the crash. Two members of 102nd Coast Artillery, Lt. Edward Hubbard and Pvt. Woodrow Ravenscroft, were awarded the Soldier's Medal on June 12, 1942 for their efforts to rescue others after the crash [ read citations ]. First officer Tapp earned a civilian award for their role in the crash. Wreckage Afterwards, the wreckage was blown up to keep the shipping channel clear, and the forgotten. In the middle of September 2004, a group of Darwin high school student claimed to rediscover this wreckage. Visibility was poor, the nine students could make out the forward hull of the fuselage, heavily encrusted with coral. In fact, this was just a coral reef. Silvano Jung adds: "Unfortunately the 'site' discovered by the Darwin High School students turned out to be a reef. They were misinformed as to what they saw. Known today in archaeological circles as the 'Corinthian Reef'." References Ambrose earned a civilian award for his service flying between Java and Broome. Oz@War Crash of a Short Empire Flying Boat in Darwin Harbor 22 March 1942 Aviation Safety Network - Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat G-AEUF Thanks to Silvano Jung, Edward Rogers 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 6, 2021 |
 S.23  30m  Soldiers Medal Award  Civilian Awards Discovery 2004 |
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