Bay of Biscay

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Schedule:

Pembroke Dock - Pembroke Dock

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The crew was involved in a maritime patrol flight over the Bay of Biscay and left RAF Pembroke Dock at 1810LT on June 11. The floatplane should return to its base on June 12 with an ETA at 0725LT but failed to arrive. The British authorities confirmed that no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found and that the aircraft has probably been shot down during the night by enemy fire, maybe by a German night fighter or a submarine.
Crew (228th Squadron).
Source: ASN

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland into the Bay of Biscay: 21 killed

Date & Time: Dec 24, 1943 at 1225 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

T228

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Pembroke Dock - Pembroke Dock

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Short Sunderland flying boat T228 took off from RAF Station Pembroke Dock at 0715LT on 24 December 1943 to carry out an anti-submarine patrol. At 1225LT a distress signal was received from the aircraft. At this time T228 was over a force of enemy destroyers and in company of another Sunderland. At 1310LT a message was received from the other Sunderland aircraft which stated that wreckage of a Sunderland aircraft had been sighted and one survivor seen on the wing float of the aircraft. A dinghy was dropped but the survivor disappeared a few minutes later. Although the crew of the accompanying aircraft did not actually see T228 shot down, it was believed that T228 was shot down by an enemy surface vessel.
Source:
http://www.aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19431224-0

Crash of an Avro 683 Lancaster III into the Bay of Biscay: 7 killed

Date & Time: Nov 18, 1943 at 0555 LT

Type of aircraft:

Avro 683 Lancaster

Operator:

Registration:

ED735

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

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Schedule:

Rabat – Coningsby

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The crew left Rabat at 2340LT on November 17 bound for RAF Coningsby. While overflying the Bay of Biscay north of the Portuguese coast, the aircraft was lost around 0555LT, probably after being shot down by a German fighter. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.
Crew (617th Squadron):
F/Lt E. E. G. Youseman, pilot,
F/S S. Wittingham,
F/O E. Fleshka,
F/O W. C. Grimes,
W/O A. Laughland,
F/Sgt R. Florence,
W/O J. B. O'Grady.

Crash of a Short S.25 Sunderland III into the Bay of Biscay: 12 killed

Date & Time: Nov 10, 1943 at 1755 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.25 Sunderland

Operator:

Registration:

EK572

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

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Consolidated B-24 Liberator

Schedule:

Pembroke Dock - Gibraltar

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While approaching the Spanish coast, the aircraft was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed into the Bay of Biscay, killing all 12 occupants.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-CO Liberator V into the Bay of Biscay: 8 killed

Date & Time: Sep 2, 1943

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

FL959

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Consolidated B-24 Liberator

MSN:

157

YOM:

1941

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Shot down by the pilot of a German fighter (JU.88) over the Bay of Biscay, while on a patrol flight. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was ever found.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-CO Liberator V into the Bay of Biscay

Date & Time: Sep 2, 1943

Type of aircraft:

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Registration:

FL938

Flight Phase:

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Yes

Site:

MSN:

154

YOM:

1941

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Shot down by the pilot of a German fighter (JU.88) over the Bay of Biscay. The captain was able to ditch the aircraft and all occupants were rescued while the aircraft sank.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Douglas DC-3-194 into the Bay of Biscay: 17 killed

Date & Time: Jun 1, 1943 at 1254 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas DC-3

Operator:

Registration:

G-AGBB

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow

Schedule:

Lisbon – Bristol

MSN:

1590

YOM:

1936

Flight number:

2L777

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The aircraft left Lisbon-Portela de Sacavém at 0730LT on a regular schedule flight to Bristol-Whitchurch Airport. While cruising over the Bay of Biscay, the aircraft was intercepted and shot down by eight German Junkers JU.88 fighters. The civil aircraft went out of control and crashed into the sea some 350 km north of La Coruna. All 17 occupants, among them the British actor Leslie Howard, were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Quirinus Tepas Obe, pilot,
Cpt Dirk de Koning, pilot,
Cornelis van Brugge, radio operator,
Engbertus Rosevink, flight engineer.
Passengers:
Leslie Howard,
Alfred T. Chenhalls,
Kenneth Stonehouse,
Evelyn Peggy Margetts Stonehouse,
Rotha Hutcheon
Petra Hutcheon,
Carolina Hutcheon,
Cecelia Emilia Falla Paton,
Tyrrell Mildmay Shervington,
Ivan James Sharp,
Wilfrid Israel,
Francis German Cowlrick,
Gordon Thompson MacLean.

Probable cause:

Shot down by German fighters. Theories abound that the aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, was attacked because the Germans believed that British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was aboard. Other theories suggest the DC-3 was targeted because several passengers, including Howard, were British spies. During the Second World War, British and German civilian aircraft operated out of the same facilities at Portela and the incoming and outgoing traffic was watched by Allied and Axis spies. The Lisbon - Bristol route frequently carried agents and escaped PoWs to Britain.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.54 Harrow II into the Bay of Biscay: 11 killed

Date & Time: Dec 19, 1942

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Registration:

K7011

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Military

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Portreath – Gibraltar

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While cruising over the Bay of Biscay, the aircraft crashed into the sea off the Spanish coast in unknown circumstances. None of 11 occupants survived.
Crew (271st Squadron):
S/L Godfrey Allison Brown, pilot,
F/Lt Edward Thomson Halley,
P/O Peter Marsh Burton,
F/O Edwin Buckley Bowen,
F/Sgt Richard George Brett,
F/Sgt John Brister,
LAC Philip Cashmore.
Passengers:
Lt Andrew Jervis Hawkins,
Maj Harold John Palmer,
F/O William Milton Henderson,
F/O John Glen McCauley.

Crash of a Bristol 152 Beaufort I into the Bay of Biscay: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 18, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 152 Beaufort

Operator:

Registration:

L9859

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site: