history · 24 June 1944 · 80 years ago
Flight Lieutenant David Hornell, on a routine patrol in a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Catalina aircraft, sighted a surfaced German U-Boat in the North Atlantic, but a hail of anti-aircraft fire came up to meet the Catalina as it made its bombing run. Although two large holes appeared in the starboard wing and oil was seen to be pouring from the burning starboard engine, Hornell managed to hold the blazing aircraft on course, and from low-level was able to straddle the enemy submarine with depth charges; which was then seen to thrust its bows abruptly into the air while the crew abandoned ship. The Catalina aircraft's engine tore itself away from the burning wing and Hornell needed all his skill to put the machine down on the heavy swell. Blazing furiously it began to sink immediately. The survivors had to wait 21 hours before they were picked up, by which time two men had already died of exposure and Hornell himself succumbed soon after being rescued. For his outstanding gallantry David Hornell would be awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
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