Hudson (FK538) ditched near Cabo da Roca

Data/ Date

Local/ Location

Força/ Force

Avião/ Aircraft

 

Origem-Destino/ From-To

 

Tripulação/ Crew

29-08-1943

Near Roca Cape (in the sea)

RAF     1OADU

Lockheed Hudson  VI       FK538

 

Lyneham (GB) → Ras-Elma (Marroco)

 

P/O       Sidney Allen                        Canada

F/O       Norman Wallis Gustafson     Canada

F/Sgt    Howard Alexander Henry     Canada

F/Sgt    John Douglas Crozier           Australia




The crew was on the way to meet a new squadron at Ras-Elma, near Fez.

Because of lack of fuel they had to ditch around 14.20 hours in the sea 7 miles southeast of Roca Cape. The airplane submerged in a minute.

The crew jumped into a dinghies and were discovered by a small sailing ship that was crewed by Germans. It was even said to them latter that it was the air attache of the German Legation, but in fact it was a German merchant and his Swiss wife, that lived fir a long time in Portugal and had a sailing ship in the Cascais Marina.

They towed in the dinghy by the sailboat until they found one fishing trawler that took them on board and to Cascais harbor. From there Allen called the British Embassy while the rest of them were seen by doctors.

Gustafson e Henry were taken to the hospital because of some cuts and bruises. Tow days latter they joined the rest of the crew in a Lisbon Hotel. They stayed there until the 6th September when they taken by boat to Gibraltar, where they arrived at the 8th.

Resources:
* "Lokheed Hudson in World War II" - Andrew Hendrie
* Evade & Escape Report - National Archives -  London, Kew