Rescue prior to the Airborne Lifeboat
At the start of the war, an air-sea rescue operation could be very ‘hit or miss’. A ‘spotter’ plane, often a Lysander, would fly out to the last reported position to spot the survivors, drop whatever aids they could plus, perhaps, a smoke float, and summon a Walrus which would land and pick up the waterlogged aviator. It was fine in theory but was highly weather dependent. The weakest link was the Lysander which was so vulnerable that it was originally confined to flying within twenty miles of the coast (later extended to forty) and restricted in its ability to provide practical assistance by its carrying capacity, which was limited to what could be fitted on the bomb racks.
As the Air Sea Rescue service developed more capable planes with longer ranges were used. Fighter aircraft could assist with ‘spotting’ and bombers could carry dinghies, supplies or one of the many ‘rescue packs’ developed such as the ‘Thornaby Bag’. However rescues relied heavily on ships, launches or fishing vessels to rescue the ditched aircrew from their liferafts and dinghies.
The Airborne Lifeboat added a new dimension to rescues.
Once the Airborne Lifeboat was available a typical Air Sea Rescue operation would still often start with ‘spotter’ planes to locate survivors. These could be fighter aircraft or bombers and if the latter they could drop emergency equipment and supplies. The rescue bombers carrying the Airborne Lifeboat would then be directed to the survivors often with a fighter or two for protection. Having located the survivors they would drop the lifeboat and the ditched crew would get underway. The rescue aircraft would often remain in contact with the lifeboat for some time to provide assistance and protection. The lifeboat would sometime be navigated into port directly. Often however it would be met offshore by a High Speed Launch and the crew transferred. A rescue involving an Airborne Lifeboat was a complex and drawn-out process involving many men, aircraft and boats.
Read about Airborne Lifeboat Operations
Airborne Lifeboat rescues have been well researched and written up by many. Stephen Brewster-Daniels provides this list of operations in his book ‘Rescue From the Skies’. In the book, he details the aircraft and crews and many of the operations are described in detail in the book. In ‘Shot Down and In The Drink’ Graham Pitchfork gives many first-hand reports.
Uffa Fox also includes a description of a Rescue in ‘Joys of Life’ and ‘More Joys of Living’.