Two MPK Naval Airmen 20/03/47

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
Am seeking details of an aircraft crash on Thursday 20/03/47.
Two RN airmen recorded as MPK.
The ship(?) Is given as HMS Ferret which was a shore base in Northern Ireland and from what I glean it was not an air base but ship orientated .
Airmen's names were -
Lt. Kenneth David James LORIMER and S/Lt. Hayden Shelton MOORE.

So far I have not been able to connect them to an a/c that crashed on or before the 20th.
Anyone have any info or idea on this loss ?

Thanks
Alex

[Laurent Rizzotti]

According to a post on the RAF Command Forums, both were lost in the crash of the Lancaster SW290 of 224 Sqn or Joint Anti-Submarine School.

See http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/04371.php

There is more info, including a newspapers article, in the following link:
https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=30737

In 1947, HMS Ferret seems to be mostly an anti-submarine warfare training school so the presence of two of its officers in a Lancaster over a submarine for an exercise is not surprising.

[Alex Smart]

Hello Laurent,

I am embarrassed, do not understand how I overlooked them, have Final landings and there they are on page 281.

Alex

[Icare9]

Aviation Safety Net quotes "According to a contemporary press report (The Times. Saturday, March 22, 1947. p.4.):
"R.A.F. PLANE CRASH OFF IRELAND.
Eight naval ships, including two destroyers and a submarine, searched all through yesterday for the survivors of an R.A.F. Lancaster which crashed about 50 miles out to sea north of Ireland just before midnight on Thursday. Three of the Lancaster's missing crew of nine were picked up, two of them dying later. Late last night it was stated that there was no hope of finding further survivors, and the search was called off. The crash was reported by H.M.S. "Vengeance", aircraft-carrier. The Lancaster was one of six on naval cooperation exercises operating from Ballykelly, 13 miles north-east of Londonderry."

Reportedly carrying 9 on board, but someone's maths are different to mine
Three of the Lancaster's missing crew of nine were picked up, two of them dying later.

which would mean 8 deaths and one survivor....?
Crew:
Pilot. Harry Stapleton - 1815249 - RP286
Eng. David J. Darby - 576946 - RP287
Nav. John D. Shaw - 1675594 - RP286
Signaller David G. Ryan - 1494556 - IRL104 ( Grangegorman Mil. Cem., Dublin City)
Sign Charles Lexton - 1314416 - Runnymede Panel 287
Lt Kenneth D.J. Lorimer - RN (HMS Ferret) - L o Solent B6 Panel 7
Sub. Lt. Hayden Shelton Moore - RN (HMS Ferret) - L o Solent B6 P7

but obviously the newspaper may have the number of casualties wrong.

UPDATE: Found BAAA Report http://www.baaa-acro.com/aircraft/av...ncaster?page=4
While on a training exercise and flying at a height of 500 feet, the captain decided to reduce his altitude when the aircraft hit the water surface and crashed into the sea about 60 miles northeast of Malin Head, Ireland. The pilot and an officer were rescued while seven other occupants were killed.