Images kept by Keith Barke & others - Fleet Air Arm aircraft

[viscount]

SOME FLEET AIR ARM AIRCRAFT OF THE 50s, 60s and 70s.

Also in the packets of photos, treasured and kept hold of by Keith Barke since the '60s are a number of prints given to him at various times by a family friend. Some clearly '50s, some later, in the early '60s. I was particularly interested by several shots of a relatively ignored subject the Supermarine Scimitar, especially as the type has been recently mentioned on NWAN in the 'Aircraft Models' section: derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/37723/xtrakit-1-72-supermarine-scimitar

Clearly some of these images are taken by an official photographer, but none have Official stamps on the back. From the variety of paper quality and print dimensions the majority are taken at different times and places, even if the subject matter is similar. A few have hand written captions, which I have included in the captions, although at least one was misinformed.

So enough from me, look through, enjoy and come back a few days later and find details you missed before.




6x8" original. HMS Ark Royal R09. Visible: Gannet COD XG786; 3 x Scimitar F.1 XB28·/·51:R (also a white 0), ·····/149 and ·····/156; 4 x Sea Vixens XN688, XN707, XJ521 & XN709 all tail code R and a Gannet AEW.3 also with a R tail code, with props rotating about to launch from the starboard catapult. HMS Ark Royal was commissioned in 1955, and this shot is certainly before the major refit (1967-1/1970) that installed an angled flight deck to enable Phantom operations.



6x8" original. Sea Vixen FAW.2 'taking the wire' is XP91·, a choice of XP918 or XP919. No codes or unit colours appear to be carried.



6x8" original. Wessex XM916/322:R



6x8" original. Westland Wessex XM916/322:R and XP194?/472:HA landing . HA is the deck code for HMS Hampshire (launched 1962).



Small print captioned: "Abbotsinch 16-3-63" Westland Wessex XP156/02:HA. HA is the deck code for HMS Hampshire, a guided missile destroyer (DO6), 1963-1979.



Fairey Gannet AEW.3 on launch from a bow catapult. Looks like a scene illustrating the school kids "How many Irishmen does it take to change a light bulb?" style joke. Answer appears to be 20 (plus the air crew) are required are required to launch a Gannet!



6x8" original. Fairey Gannet AEW.3, XL···/428:V departing the side catapult.



Print captioned 'The new two'. The launched Scimitar has a tail code/VL, nothing to identify the Sea Vixen but the off-set pilot's canopy shows up well at this angle. Likely an 'arranged' photo as the Sea Vixen is not lined-up with the starboard steam catapult.



Scimitar XD234/147:V at the moment of launch. Deck code V denotes HMS Victorious.



Print captioned "Venoms, 892 Sqdn".



DH. 103 Sea Hornet NF.21 VV438/481:··



VV149/·· a DH.100 Sea Vampire F.20.



Print caption "Scimitar, 700Y Squadron". Scimitar ····/510:VL having 'taken the wire' - note the Dragonfly 'plane guard' hovering off the port side of the carrier.



Print caption: Sea Hawks of 801 Squadron". Presumably for the camera, a syncronised cartridge start-up by 4 Sea Hawks. The four are coded 128, 117, 116 and 127, while the furthest left aircraft is a Sea Venom with a white tail scheme and the tail code C (for HMS Centaur).Caption amended



Print caption: "Sea Hawks, 801 Squadron, Strike Submarine HMS Therow"(mistaken). The furthest Sea Hawk has nose code 123, the nearest possibly 125. Apparently 3 different colour schemes (actually the furthest may well be the same as the nearest, but with an all white rudder). Quick cross reference with Wikipedia became a long hunt, it appears that pennant S42 in 1946-1964 was actually HMS Tabard - S42 having been used by the USN in WWII and more recently 1991-1998 by HMS Ursula.



Photo caption: "Scimitar S.1 Biggin Hill Air Fair '65".



Photo captioned: "Sea Vixen FAW.1 XJ477(?), Biggin Hill Air Fair '65." Coded /714:VL.



No photo caption, so date and place unknown, all that is certain it that is an uncoded Scimitar S.1 with partial serial X·23·.



No print caption, but I reckon this Scimitar XD21· and Sea Hawk are at a RNAS Yeovilton Air Day.



Print stamped on the back: "GAJENKS PHOTO-not for reproduction" (so I'll have to keep that quiet). Clearly the Fleet Air Arm Grumman Martlet AL246, tail of Seafire SX137 beyond, which makes Yeovilton the most likely location.



Dragonfly HR.5 WN493/913, nowadays inside the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton. The all black Sea Hawk by the hangar is likely coded 034.



Fairey Swordfish LS326/5A has worn a white sided scheme for so long, I had forgotten that at one time the camouflage extended right down the sides.



XA398/-:- Fairey Gannet AS.4, also likely at a RNAS Yeovilton 'Air Day'. This particular aircraft does not appear to have survived though.



Gloster Meteor TT.20 coded 040.



Captioned "KE442 Grumman Avenger III (TBM-2), coded 84:FD". Print badly worn.



Photo captioned "XB442/803:AC, Grumman Avenger AS.4, at Glasgow/Abbotsinch." The last digit of the serial is very faint, but to me looks more like a 7. Needs a bit more research as the reference book just consulted says that both XB442 and XB447 were passed onto other European Navies, but then it says the same for XB446 which now in the fleet Air Arm Museum!



Westland Whirlwind coded 330. Just this single colour photo in with the Royal Navy prints, and a little worn too.

X X X X X X X X X X

These following shots of Fleet Air Arm aircraft are from a different source, but have a similar background as they were all provided to the MAS Editor for potential use, or as 'seconds' placed in box in the clubroom for sale to members. This box was then stored 1986 until 2012 when passed on to me. I'm cheating a little as these shots are on some 2012 threads of this section, but as they neatly fit the thread theme well, no harm in them getting another airing, now without the image destroying Photobucket watermark.



Photographic Section, H.M.S. Ark Royal, 1975, Official Photograph, Crown Copyright Reserved. F-4K Phantom FG.1 XT968/006:R of 892 Sqdn., rapidly accelerating to flying speed off the deck of HMS Ark Royal. Dated 1975. The acceleration is such that the nose is sharply in focus, but the tail slightly blurred.



Photographic Section, H.M.S. Ark Royal, 1975, Official Photograph, Crown Copyright Reserved. Buccaneer S.2 XV3--/034:R dramatically poised on the steam catapult fractions of a second before being hurled into the sky. Dated 17 January 1975.



Photographic Section, H.M.S. Ark Royal, 1975, Official Photograph, Crown Copyright Reserved. Fairey Gannet AEW.3 XL497/041:R of 849 Sqdn, B Flight about to launch off HMS Ark Royal. Note too, the Wessex ASR hovering off the port side at the ready should the launch go wrong. Dated April 1975.



Sole photo in the collection of a Westland Wyvern S.4, VZ748. Not a type commonly featured, indeed the only one I've ever seen is the example in the FAAM at Yeovilton. Stamped as a Westland Aircraft Ltd, Yeovil photo. Located my BARG Westland Wyvern history monograph which relates that VZ748 first flew sometime mid 1952 and was used by Westlands and the A&AEE for trials before grounding. In November and December 1956 it was transported to HMS Ark Royal for deck-handling trials/instruction, but did not fly during that period. Reconditioned during 1957 it was delivered to Lossiemouth January 1958 and stored. Struck off charge in September 1959 the remains going to British Aluminum at Warrington for processing.



A pair of RN Scimitar F.1s at Hurn (so with FRU?), one coded 225. Undated, but clearly winter-time, photo by R.L.Tushingham.



Another Royal Navy Meteor TT.20, a WD··· regn, although the numbers are unclear. Coded 864:HF. The 'HF' indicating home based at Hal Far, Malta



This aircraft started out as a Meteor NF.11, converted to a Meteor TT.20 and seen here at Yeovilton Air Day 1963, WD643/585:HF. Both Meteor TT.20 images have been used in MAS Flypast at some time, so the caption there might throw light on the details - if ever located.



Wessex HU.5 coded Q of 845 Sqdn off HMS Bulwark lifting Royal Navy Hiller UH-12E XS172. Not a professional print, but an interesting one, unfortunately nothing on the back regarding the circumstances or photographer. Could be a demonstration at a RNAS Air Display, anyone know more?



·····/688 a Hunter T.8 with the Royal Navy. Looks like another RNAS Yeovilton Air Display static line-up, but when?



Three Wessex HU.5 of 845 Sqdn Royal Navy seen demonstrating the delivery of ground troops in a battlefield 'senario', presumably at either SBAC Farnborough, Biggin Hill or a Yeovilton Airshow during the early '70s. XT467/G:B nearest the camera, with E:B and K:B - the 'B' denoting HMS Bulwark. No details on the back of the photo.

[acklington]

Wonderful images, many thanks for scanning and sharing. There are many points of interest that could be commented on, and with a bit of further research many more aircraft will be identifiable.

In the meantime forgive a couple of comments about Sea Hawk colour schemes;
WV824, 122, ex 801 Sqdn, Lasham, 16 Jan 69 by Philip Pain, on Flickr
189, FGA.6, ex 806 Sqdn, Lasham, 16 Jan 69 by Philip Pain, on Flickr

The first photo, in the famous Lasham graveyard, shows sister aircraft '122' which would have been on the same cruise as the four Sea Hawks shown above (cartridge starting). The colour scheme on these aircraft is extra dark sea grey on top, with 'anti-flash' white undersides. The "fifth aircraft" that you refer to is a Sea Venom with 'sky' painted tail and undersides with a high demarcation line.

The second photo is interesting because it shows how the original dark grey / sky scheme had been overpainted with a lower demarcation line and 'anti-flash' white undersides. The original scheme has lasted better, and the later scheme is wearing off. Probably the later scheme was applied locally for the aircraft's last sea cruise, at a time when the new colours were mandated across the fleet. Thus, in another of the Keith Barke Sea Hawk photos, you comment that one of the Sea Hawks has a "white tail". More likely it has a replacement rudder fitted, still painted in the original high-demarcation sky colour.

[jetdragon]

Brilliant pics in Keith's collection - thanks for sharing these gems

JD

[acklington]

Just been having a look at the Scimitar photos, and '611' at Biggin Hill is XD215 of 736 NAS. '225' at Hurn is XD225 of the FRU. The blurry Scimitar XD23- is also an FRU example as it had the nose light mod. That would make it XD232, XD234 or XD235, which ain't much help. The Scimitar '510-VL' of 700Y NAS is annoying because there seems to be no record of 700Y NAS having operated from Yeovilton, their recorded base was Ford 'FD'. Another Scimitar photo - XD234 '147-V' is 803 NAS.

The Meteor TT.20 '864' is WD592. The blurry Meteor TT.20 '040' is WM159.

The Navy Hunter T.8 '688' is XF991 of 764 NAS, at Lossiemouth 18th July 1970.

The tail view of two Venoms on the catapults captioned "Venoms, 892 Sqdn", the nearer one could be WW187 coded '450' on HMS Eagle. Note the last digit '0' on both the flaps.

[viscount]

from the Don Stephens Collection:

Some more, mostly 'official' photographs of carrier operations. These were 'collected' (acquired and kept likely some 60 years) by Don Stephens. I suspect as most are stamped 'HMS Centaur' they were 'blagged' (not a term Don would ever have used, obtained by smooth talking) when HMS Centaur visited the Mersey in 1963. Some interesting photos which in my opinion are well worthy of a public airing. For more on aircraft carriers in the Mersey see: derbosoft.proboards.com/thread/1790/aircraft-carriers-mersey



Official HMS Centaur photograph, dated 20.07.60. XK489 NA.39 Buccaneer S.1. Presumably on deck landing trails as I'm fairly sure Buccaneers never served on HMS Centaur. With no 'hook' lowered, it is presumably an intended 'bolter' (missed landing).



Official HMS Centaur photograph, dated 20.07.60 DH.110 Sea Vixen FAW.1. Again presumably on deck landing trials as the aircraft appears pristine and has no external tanks or weapon racks attached.



Official HMS Centaur photograph, undated. WV904/516:VL Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.4. Not quite as pin-sharp as the other photos.



Official HMS Centaur photograph dated 06.01.60. XE411 Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.6. With the wings folded, I would speculate a deck handling incident rather than as a result of a landing accident.



Official HMS Centaur photograph dated 14th December (year not clear, 196_, possibly 1961). XE448/126:C Hawker Sea Hawk FGA.6. Presumably a deliberate undercarriage-up landing as the arresting barrier has been raised and used, rather than a normal arrester hook landing 'taking' the wires to decelerate to a stop.





Stamped as an MOD photo. F28 Leander Class HMS Cleopatra (deck code CA). Undated, but likely contemporary with the above photos, so early 1960s. Lower image has some surface damage.



Sea Hawk formation (no stamp on the reverse of the print) WV902/127, XE409/113 (or 115?), WV916/120 and WV824/122. More likely at a land based air show than associated with a Carrier. Would appear (from the codes) to be of the same squadron as the Sea Hawks on an earlier image on this thread in formation passing over a submarine.



More Sea Hawks, the tail code 'C' shows that the unit were attached to HMS Centaur's Air Wing. This print is captioned MJFB on the reverse, so is presumed to be a Michael Bowyer photograph. Location and date, not recorded.



Guilty for thread drift (away from the British Navy), but could not leave out this impressive image of the USS Forrestal entering Southampton Water on 30.09.57, with over 50 a/c on deck

[ronturner]

Thanks for this and thanks to the two original authors.
I don't remember seeing the original postings in 2021 so I am more than delighted to read this today. Its one I will keep coming back to.

[acklington]

The photo of the four Seahawks in formation, includes WV824/122 which is shown earlier in the thread in the Lasham scrapyard. So the unit is 801 Squadron and the year almost certainly late 1955/early 1956 when they embarked on HMS Centaur, tail code 'C'. Their shore bases during this short period were Lossiemouth, and Lee-on-Solent.

The 801 Squadron badge can just be made out on the noses in the formation.