LOSS OF A SPITFIRE
IN THE SEA WEST OF DARWIN HARBOUR, NT
ON 2 MAY 1943

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F.VC Spitfire A58-53 (BR547) Code QY-S, piloted by Flight Sergeant Ross Smith Stagg (407915) of 452 Squadron RAAF went missing at sea after a dogfight with some Japanese aircraft west of Darwin Harbour on 2 May 1943.

Ross Stagg compiled some notes (which was subsequently transformed into a short book) about his experience of bailing out of his Spitfire just off the coast at Point Jenny. After his squadron got into a long dogfight well off the coast, west of Darwin, he realised that there was not enough fuel for the return journey. From an initial height of 30,000 feet he glided the Spitfire back to the coast until he reached a minimum altitude of 2,000ft, where he had to make the decision to bail out as he was not going to reach land. He put the aircraft into a dive to build speed and then put it into a climb and then half rolled the Spitfire on its back, and bailed out. The Spitfire went into the sea almost vertical with hardly a splash and did not break up. Ross splashed down some 18kms from shore and used his dinghy to make land. He spent the next 16 days walking east towards Darwin without food or water. On 17 May 1943 he was found (rescued) by a local Aboriginal.

The aircraft was considered a write off on 5 May 1943. The aircraft was written off on 2 June 1943.

This aircraft had originally arrived in Australia on SS Hoperidge on 23 October 1942. It was delivered to the RAAF on 30 October 1942 and received by 452 Squadron RAAF on 9 November 1942.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Michael Flanagan and Gordon Birkett for their assistance with this web page.

I'd also like to thank Simon Stagg, great nephew of Ross Stagg for his assistance with this web page.

 

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

 

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This page first produced 26 May 2007

This page last updated 02 February 2020