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Old 6th December 2021, 10:32
Leendert Leendert is offline
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Belgium
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Re: BV138 K6+GK 2./406 shot down 4/11/42

Brian,
You may have noticed in the online ORB of No. 330 (RNoAF) Squadron for Nov 1942 that on the 4th a Northrop (pilot S/Lt. Th. Neilsen) providing ASW patrol for troop transport S.S. Nova and US Coast Guard cutter Bibb (WPG-31) received a radio message from the latter that a "plane (had) crashed".

On a USCG website with the cutter's history ( https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-...996/bibb-1937/) it says:

On 31 October 1942 Bibb was again underway escorting SS Nova along the southern coast of Iceland. The Nova discharged and took on U. S. Army personnel at Bay dar Fjord on the 1st of November and then proceeded to Seydis Fjord where she remained overnight. On the 2nd they were en route to Raufarhofn, where Nova discharged and loaded passengers. On the 3rd they stopped at Akueyre. On the 14th they observed a plane, which was providing air coverage, crash at sea. The bodies of the navigator and observer were recovered.
Bibb was underway on 9 November 1942 screening the right flank of a west bound convoy of eight ships. She was joined by the Ingham. On the 11th the convoy became scattered about noon by winds of gale force and heavy seas but was reformed six hours later. The Ingham and two merchant vessels were missing, etc."


Although the text says 14th, I reckon this is a typo for 4th, since story stays chronological throughout and continues with 9th.
See https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USC...USCG-V1-2.html for this, with "...on the 4th...".

All in all, to really find an answer what has been going on, apart from checking air losses around Iceland that day, is to retrieve the ship logs of the USCGC Bibb.
With some luck they are on Fold3 or online on Catalog Archives.

To add that the Norwegian Northrop of the 4th returned to base. Crew members are mentioned later in the month as well.

Regards,
Leendert

Last edited by Leendert; 6th December 2021 at 10:59. Reason: Some typos
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