[Mark E Horan]

When Bismarck & Prinz Eugen appeared in Norway, the Officer in Command of HMS Sparrowhawk (RNAS Hatson), Captain Henry Lockhart St. John Fancourt, RN made efforts to attack the German warships should she attempt to break put. However, the Albacore TSRs transferred to his station did not have the range to reach Bergen and attack - they'd have to catch them at sea after leaving.

When the RAF was unable to get aircraft over Bergen in the prevailing weather, he volunteered put together a crew and make the attempt in the stations fast, multi-engine Maryland, AR720 (W). The plane was nominally assigned to 771 Squadron, FAA, the station's fleet requirements unit.

He had little problem finding a pilot - the Officer Commanding 771 Squadron, Temporary Lieutenant (A) Noel Ernest Goddard, RNVR insisted he be allowed to make the effort with a volunteer crew. Not to be outdone, both rating members of his regular crew, Acting Leading Airman John Walker Armstrong, SFx.900 (TAG-WO) and Leading Airman J. D. Milne (TAG-AG) claimed their right to go. The mission needed a top notch navigator, and Commander Geoffrey Alexander Rotherham, OBE, RN, the Station's executive officer, a highly experienced observer, volunteered to lead the flight.

The mission, flown at low altitude in IRF (Instrument Flight Rules) conditions, was flown exactly as laid out with Rotherham making a perfect landfall and they penetrated the fjiord and established that the two German warships had sailed. Armstrong sent morse signals to Coastal Command but no receipt was returned. Rotherham had Armstrong break into the target tow frequency and signal the word directly to the station. Not relying only on this (though Admiral Tovey did get the word), he had Goddard fly directly to Sumburgh, Hatston's advanced airfield, where the torpedo armed Albacores were wating to depart on their strike.

The torpedo strike never came off as the search effort did not sight the German warships. However, acting on Rotherham's message, Tovey sailed with the Home Fleet and, as we all know, eventually cornered and sank Bismarck after the FAA aircrew of HMS Ark Royal's TSR Squadrons crippled the ship with a virtual last chance strike in abysmal weather.

The 16 September 1941 edition of the London Gazette noted the awarding of many honors for those involved in the destruction of Bismarck. Included were three of the Maryland's aircrew. Rotherham was awarded the DSO, Goddard was awarded the DFC, and Armstrong the DSM. For reasons I don't understand, the last member of the crew, Milne, received nothing. I guess volunteering to make the dangerous mission knowing your turret gun would be the primary defense of the aircraft counted for nought when no aerial opposition was met.

As noted, Rotherham's book "It's Really Quite Safe" is an excellent read.

Hope this is of interest.

Mark E. Horan