australia's undersea aerial armada

365 Pages·2009·25.88 MB·English

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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
A ’ u A A :
ustrAliA s nderseA eriAl rmAdA

the aviation archaeology of World War II flying boats lying in Roebuck Bay,
Broome, Western Australia.
Silvano Vittorio Jung
B.A., M.Litt. (U.N.E.), M.A. (N.T.U.)
Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the
Faculty of Law, Business and Arts
Charles Darwin University
2008
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
I hereby declare that the work herein, now submitted as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy by research is the result of my own investigations, and all references to ideas and
work of other researchers have been specifically acknowledged. I hereby certify that the work
embodied in this thesis has not already been accepted in substance for any degree, and is not
being currently submitted in candidature of any other degree.
Silvano Jung
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
DEDICATION
To my parents, Vittorio (1926 - 2005) and Rosina Jung for their loving support
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
ABSTRACT
In maritime archaeology, the integration of historical and archaeological data generally focused
on historic shipwreck sites to enable research into past lifeways (Muckelroy, 1976). The sea,
however, holds many aspects of past human behaviour that relate not only to shipwreck sites
and the societies that built those ships, but also to aviation. This study shows that the application
of a combined study of written and oral historical records, together with archaeological data,
can provide insights into the cultural material left in the archaeological record of a recent past
event in Australia. The assemblage of 15 flying boat wrecks left on the bottom of Roebuck Bay
tells a story of how they were lost and what has happened to them since their sinking.
The aerodrome at the Western Australian town of Broome (Rubibi – the traditional lands of
the Yawuru people) was the target of a Japanese air raid on 3 March 1942. The aim of the air
raid was to neutralise the aerodrome and to destroy all aircraft in the area in order to close the
aerial escape route from Java in the Netherlands East Indies, or NEI, now Indonesia. The rapid
Japanese expansion into the NEI forced the evacuation of thousands of Dutch civilians and
Allied military personnel by sea and air to Australia. The Java air lift to Broome, however,
finished on 27 February 1942. The Japanese invasion of Java on 1 March 1942 forced the
remaining naval aviation units of the Marineluchtvaartdienst (MLD), the Royal Air Force
(RAF) and the United States Navy (USN) to evacuate to Australia. The destination for these
units was also Broome.
Two flying boats of the USN and two Short Empire flying boats (one operated by the Royal
Australia Air Force - RAAF and the other by the British Overseas Airways Corporation -
BOAC) were already at Broome on the evening of 2 March 1942. 11 Java-based flying boats
arrived there early the following morning. The scene in Broome’s Roebuck Bay resembled a
floating armada. Within hours all of the flying boats and all of the aircraft at the aerodrome
would be destroyed. While nothing remains of the terrestrial sites destroyed at the aerodrome,
in the sea the remains of the flying boats endure, as well as another two land based aircraft,
American and Japanese that are yet to be found.
This thesis demonstrates that the Broome flying boat wreck sites represent a significant
archaeological resource that provides insights into the air raid and nomothetic principles of
site formation process of a new class of archaeological site – submerged aircraft. New data
are presented to predict wreck site location, as well as the likely condition of the wrecks.
This thesis identifies the sites of ten of the 15 recorded flying boats destroyed in the raid,
and provides information on the possible location of the remainder. Analysis is undertaken of
how the wreck sites have re-entered a living context as important places not only for tourism,
but also as a memorial to those that lost their lives. This thesis provides interpretive data
that can be used to increase the public awareness of these sites. The processes of formally
identifying wrecked aircraft enables links to be re-established between the people associated
with the air raid and the cultural material record in Roebuck Bay. The research in this thesis,
furthermore, develops our understanding of how humans behave in a time of crisis. The stories
recorded are of suffering, hope and survival from this devastating air raid. They are an insight
into Australian, Dutch, British, US and Japanese history that was not previously confirmed,
a history whose associations with the archaeological record became lost and forgotten on the
sea bed of Roebuck bay.
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to thank my supervisors in supporting the idea of aircraft as archaeological sites: Dr.
Clayton Fredericksen, Professor Alan Powell as well as the sound advice of my shadow
supervisor and mentor, Dr. Charles S. Eaton. The next biggest influences on my work were the
ideas and support of Dr. Michael McCarthy and Jeremy Green of the Department of Maritime
Archaeology, Western Australian Museum.
The details of the Broome air raid, the loss events and subsequent research would not have been
possible without the support shown by the survivors themselves and Stan Gajda (respectively).
Many thanks to the following people:
Dutch survivors and family: X-1 associations – Jan Willem Piers (Willy), Neville Piers, Ruud
van Persie, Elly Doeland-Koens, Piet Koens; X-3 – E.J.H. Smitshuysen, Sermon Weerts, X-20
– David Sjerp; X-23 – Rudolf Idzerda; Y-67 – Theo Doorman, Jan Maarten Doorman, Rob
Lacomblé (†), Robin Lacomblé and Wijnand Kramer; Y-70 – Rob Lokman and for information
about the B-24A LB-30, Arvon Staats and Edward Rogers. Thank you to the Gyzemyter
family for showing me John’s family history manuscript, an invaluable historical document
that should be published!
Relating to the RAF background in Broome, I thank Group Captain Alex Jardine AFC, CD,
Royal Canadian Air Force (ret’d), Hugh Campbell, Colin Castle, Ron Lovell and The National
Archives, Kew. For assistance with RAAF background: Doug Dickson (A18-10) and Steve
Allan from the Office of Air Force History (Canberra). For the USN material: Naval Historical
Center, Washington D.C., Greg Shea, Guy Robbins.
For their wonderful insights, thanks to Colin De La Rue on weapons found on the wrecks,
Kate Reid-Smith on women’s cosmetics, Alex Kilpa from the WA Museum who kept me
up to date with the conservation of artefacts from the Y-59, Jon Davidson (Eye in the Sky
Productions) who kindly sent photographs of the veteran aircrew in Broome 2001 and to Bob
Alford (aviation guru) for information on wreck sites in the Northern Territory. My eternal
gratitute to the wonderful interlibrary loan staff at CDU, who were tasked with the difficult
work of tracking down some of my obscure and rare references.
My understanding of BOAC and Qantas Empire Airways matters was greatly enhanced by
Brian Cassidy, Jon Hveding, Wynnum B. Graham, Ida Mabee and MOTAT (in Auckland).
The sounding board for many of my ideas was the PBY yahoo group established by Heijo
Kuil. For over 10 years now these people have trained me in Catalina history and operation.
To them, many thanks for their patience and generosity in sharing their adventures in the PBY:
Alan LeBaron, Lou Dorny and Larry Katz, Ragnar Ragnarsson. Another significant internet
forum that provided a wealth of information is the Pacific war 1941-1945 website. Thanks in
particular to the site’s moderator, GeertJan Verheij (a.k.a. Visje) for numerous posts.
In Broome, I wish to thank the Broome Historical Society Museum for access to their
records and photographic collections; Alison Lawrence for providing historic images of the
RAF Catalina from her father’s collection; Notre Dame University Broome Campus and in
particular Sisters: Jill O’Brien and Carmel Posa; Notre Dame students help and enthusiasm
in diving the wrecks and by providing top cover while down below. Thanks to all others who
helped with fieldwork: Karin Sinniger, Paul Clark, Cath Bell, Julie Ford, Workline Dive and
Tackle, Geoff Parker, John Lashmar, Jessica Crook, Judith Chemweno and Heli-North. Thanks
again specifically to Notre Dame University for providing a venue and accommodation for my
public seminar at Broome on 2 March 2007. Bob Cleworth and Bob Bulivant (PBY-Catalina
International Association) helped in wreck site inspections and interpretations.
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
For putting a spanner in the works when announcing that ‘secondary salvage’ had occurred
at the wreck sites, but to what extent unknown: The Choules family – Claude, Andrew and
Daphne. To help verify what King Bay did in Broome, thanks to Keith Herber, a former crew
member. Thanks to Corioli Souter for passing on my list of questions to Claude. Immense
gratitude also to Rick Weisse and Sue Sultana from Tek Ventures (Darwin) for allowing access
to the Bram Burrows collection regarding A24-70.

On other matters Dutch, I wish to thank Prudent Staal in the Netherlands for the material he sent
on the MLD and the flying boat passenger lists. Janneke de Kruijf of Point of View AV/DVD
Partners for providing me with a DVD of the ‘Het vergeten drama van Broome’ documentary
screened on Dutch TV in August 2007. Thanks to Karel Reus, who provided a link with the
evacuation flights to Broome prior to the air raid - a subject that could constitute an entire
thesis itself. Thanks to Dick Schouten for his information on the Gouvernementsmarine.
Thanks also to my sister, Silvana Arcari, Robyn McDougall and to Anthony Harris for their
help in proofreading and to Doug Hobbs for his suggestions and encouragement. Nick Heijm
did the Dutch translations - thanks for your enthusiasm and time. Paul Davill of the National
Tidal Centre, Bureau of Meteorology kindly tracked down a 1942 tidal hind cast. Thanks to
my brother, Claudio, for his enduring patience.
Finally my gratitude to Lt Col Caro Lefevre, Royal Netherlands Defence Force attaché,
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Canberra for the idea of presenting a seminar on
the Broome archaeology in the Netherlands in 2008 and assisting to make it happen. Thanks
to the Aviodrome National Luchtvaart Themapark at Lylestad for providing the seminar venue
and for the flight in PH-PBY Karel Doorman, which was my first magical flight and water
landing in a Catalina.
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
CONTENTS
List of Tables ........................................................................................................................xiii
List of Figures ......................................................................................................................xiv
List of Photographs ..............................................................................................................xv
List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................................xx
Glossary of terms ..............................................................................................................xxiii
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Research Aims............................................................................................1
1.2 Defining aviation archaeology ...................................................................3
1.2.1 The evolution of aviation archaeology .......................................................6
1.2.2 Aviation archaeology’s overlap with maritime archaeology ......................8
1.3 Thesis outline ...........................................................................................11
Chapter 2: Cause and effect - the air raid and the
formation of its archaeological record
2.1.1 Part 1 - Introduction .................................................................................13
2.1.2 Historical background to the air raid ........................................................13
2.1.3 Contemporary and official reports of the air raid on Broome ..................15
2.1.3.1 Japanese personnel and their raison d’etre for the attack
on Broome ................................................................................................15
2.1.3.2 Air raid account – the Crommelin and Coster reports ..............................18
2.1.3.3 The official records and National Archives source material ....................20
2.2.1 Part 2 - Environmental description and wreck site locations ...................23
2.2.2 Cultural and environmental description ...................................................23
2.2.3 Wreck site locations .................................................................................26
2.2.3.1 Exposed wreck sites at SLW ....................................................................26
2.2.3.2 The WAMM’s side scan sonar survey of 2001 .........................................30
2.2.4 Nomenclature of sites and methods ..........................................................34
2.2.5 Discussion ................................................................................................34
2.2.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................35
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
Chapter 3: Wings of peace - Broome’s Short Empire flying boats 1937-1942
3.1 Introduction .............................................................................................36
3.2 Why Broome? – background to the Java air lift .......................................37
3.3 Centaurus (G-ADUT) and the Empire Air Mail Scheme .........................42
3.4 Corinna (G-AEUC) and the Horseshoe Route .........................................54
3.5 Short Empire flying boats at war ..............................................................55
3.6 Results ......................................................................................................71
3.7 Conclusions ..............................................................................................72
Chapter 4: The MLD - Broome aircraft histories 1937-1942
4.1 Introduction ..............................................................................................74
4.2 Marineluchtvaartdienst
– initial use of Dornier Do 24K flying boats ............................................74
4.3 The ‘X’ boats – MLD Dorniers Do 24K-1 and
the role of Gouvernementsmarine (G.m/s) seaplane tenders
in the initial operational phases of the Pacific war ...................................77
4.3.1 Dornier X-1 ..............................................................................................82
4.3.2 Dornier X-3 ..............................................................................................83
4.3.3 Dornier X-20 ............................................................................................89
4.3.4 Dornier X-23 ............................................................................................91
4.3.5 Dornier X-28 ............................................................................................92
4.4 The Y ‘boats - MLD Catalinas ..................................................................94
4.5 Conclusions ............................................................................................100
Chapter 5: Lost Catalinas – Royal Air Force and United States Navy 1938-1942
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................103

5.2 RAF Catalinas FV-N (ex-AJ154) and FV-W (ex-Y-54) - origins ...........104
5.2.1 FV-N and FV-W operational histories ....................................................109
5.3 USN Catalinas #6 (BUAERNO 1227) #7 (BUAERNO 1243)
– origins and deployment to the United States Asiatic Fleet ..................119
5.3.1 Patwing-10 - ‘the emigrés of Cavite’ (#6 and #7
Operational Service Histories) ...............................................................128
5.4 Conclusions ............................................................................................140
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
Chapter 6: The armada’s fini residuum — the slaughter and the survivors
6.1 Introduction ............................................................................................142
6.2 Methods ..................................................................................................143
6.3 Crew and passengers narratives detailing
the loss of their aircraft ...........................................................................145
6.3.1 The Gold Fish Club gets some new members - loss of the
RAAF’s A18-10 and BOAC’s Corinna ..................................................145
6.3.1.1 A18-10 ....................................................................................................145
6.3.1.2 Corinna ...................................................................................................149
6.3.2 End of the prototype – X-1’s battle and tragic defeat .............................151
6.3.3 The flying boat that wanted to leave … without its crew
– loss of the X-3 .....................................................................................161
6.3.4 The Lieutenant and his family, surviving the loss of the X-20 ..............161
6.3.5 Wrong place, wrong time – loss of the X-23
and the X-28 from GVT-6 ......................................................................163
6.3.6 Heavy casualties – loss of the Y-59, Y-60, Y-67 and Y-70
from GVT-17 ..........................................................................................165
6.3.6.1 Catalina Y-59 and Y-60 ...........................................................................165
6.3.6.2 Catalina Y-67 ..........................................................................................170
6.3.6.3 Catalina Y-70 ..........................................................................................172
6.3.7 FV-N’s final battle – lost without a shot being fired? .............................177
6.3.8 No one on board – fate of FV-W, #6 and #7 ...........................................183
6.3.9 Arabian Nights and the Seagull - description and
loss/description and survival respectively ..............................................183
6.4 Results and Conclusions .........................................................................187
Chapter 7: Material culture – previous studies, a survey of flying boat
artefacts collected 1979 – 2001
7.1 Introduction ............................................................................................191

7.2 The first archaeological surveys and steps towards
resource management .............................................................................191
7.2.1 A history of salvage and the first archaeological excavation .................192
7.3 Origins and early analysis of finds .........................................................196
7.3.1 The Stan Gajda collection re-interpreted ................................................197
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S. Jung, Ph.D. thesis, CDU, Darwin:
7.3.2 Wreck site classification .........................................................................198
7.4 Re-establishing links between artefacts and sites
- the photographic evidence ...................................................................199
7.5 The 2001 WAMM excavation of the MLD Catalina Y-59 ......................203
7.6 Toys and gender – determining possible links between
passengers and the Catalina Y-67 via artefactual material .....................208
7.7 Conclusions ............................................................................................210
Chapter 8: Working backwards - non disturbance surveys
8.1 Introduction ............................................................................................213
8.2 Survey method ........................................................................................214
8.2.1 The three survey techniques ...................................................................214
8.2.2 The defabrication survey method ...........................................................215
8.3 Site 10 – Unknown PBY-5 Catalina .......................................................217
8.4 Site 11 – PBY-5 Catalina Y-59 ...............................................................220
8.5 Site 13 – Unknown Catalina (The forgotten site) ...................................226
8.6 Site 14 – Dornier X-23 and Target 16 ....................................................230
8.6.1 The last to die - Dornier X-23 ................................................................231
8.6.2 Target 16 .................................................................................................232
8.7 Site 20 – Unknown Catalina tail section ................................................236
8.8 Site 22 – Short Empire flying boat .........................................................237
8.9 Site 23 – Unknown PBY-5 Catalina (the ‘Parker-Kimpton sites’) .........241
8.10 Site 24 – Unknown PBY-5 Catalina .......................................................247
8.11 Site 26 – PBY-5 Catalina FV-N ..............................................................251
8.12 Site 27 – Dornier X-1 .............................................................................253
8.13 Target 29 – X-20 wing section/debris ....................................................257
8.14 Target 30 – Simpson Beach Catalina sailplane section ..........................260
8.15 Target 31 – Unknown material on Middle Ground ................................263
8.16 Discussion and analysis ..........................................................................264
8.17 Conclusions ............................................................................................266