Aircraft History
Built by Supermarine in the United Kingdom. Assigned Royal Air Force (RAF) serial number LZ884. Disassembled and loaded aboard SS Brisbane Star and shipped overseas to Australia arriving on June 30, 1943.

Wartime History
Assigned to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during July 1943. Assigned to No. 452 Squadron. No known nickname or nose art.

Mission History
On September 7, 1943 at 10:40am took off from Darwin Airfield (RAAF Darwin) piloted by S/L Ron McDonald as part of a seven aircraft flight with Spitfires from No. 452 Squadron on a mission to intercept incoming Japanese aircraft over Tumbling Waters to the southeast of Darwin. The enemy formation included two Ki-46 Dinahs piloted by Murumitsu Sasaki and the other by C. O. Captain Kuruyasu Ichikawa escorted by 36 A6M Zeros from the 202 Kokutai.

Damaged, McDonald was able to successfully bail out, and this aircraft crashed near Strauss Airfield. Also lost were Spitfire A58-22 piloted by F/O Paul Tully (bailed out) and Spitfire A58-153 pilot F/O Hinds (KIA).

Wreckage
The exhaust stacks from this Spitfire were salvaged from the crash site. Today, they are displayed at the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre (Darwin Aviation Museum).

During November 1943 this Spitfire was retroactively assigned a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) serial number as Spitfire A58-227.