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Lieutenant Commander John William Jock Moffat RN Signed Naval Art
Naval Art  Signatures M to R  Moffat, John William Jock |
Lieutenant Commander John William Jock Moffat RN
John Moffat was born in Kelso in 1919 and at the outbreak of WWII, was sent to Sydenham, Belfast where a training school, set up by Short Brothers, was based. John learnt to fly in a Miles Magister. During 1939, he was sent to No.1 Flying Training School at Netheravon and here he was taught to fly advanced open-cockpit aircraft such as Hawker Hinds and Audaxes. Commissioned into the RNVR as a sub-lieutenant he was moved to Eastlee (now Southampton Airport) to the Naval Fighter School, learning fighter techniques in Blackburn Skuas and Rocs and the well-known Gloster Gladiator. In 1940, John was moved to Sanderling, the Royal Naval air station at Abbotsinch (now known as Glasgow Airport). In 1941, on board HMS Ark Royal stationed at Gibraltar, they were ordered to assist in the hunt for Bismarck and Prinz Eugen. The aircraft headed first to HMS Sheffield who gave them signals by Aldis Lamp on the position of the Bismarck. John Moffat served on HMS Ark Royal, HMS Argus, HMS Furious and HMS Formidable, and served with 759 Sqn, 818 Sqn, 820 Sqn and 824 Sqn. He died on 11th December 2016.
| Lieutenant Commander John William Jock Moffat RN - Signed Naval Art Naval Crew Signatures |
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HMS Ark Royal by Brian Wood. HMS Ark Royal part of Force H along with the Battleship HMS Renown and Cruiser HMS Sheffield departs Gibraltar to take part in the search for the Bismarck in the Atlantic. During the hunt HMS Ark Royal, Swordfish mistakenly attack the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Sheffiled. Fortunately, the torpedoes were not primed properly and crusier recieived no major damage. Spotter planes from HMS Ark Royal eventually found the Bismarck. and a attack commenced, crippling the Bismarcks rudder. The damage sustained lead to the rest of the Royal Navy surface fleet catching up with the Bismarck and sinking her. HMS ark Royal returns to the mediteranean. later on 13 November 1941: While on her return to Gibraltar in company with the HMS Malaya, HMS Argus, and HMS Hermione supported by Seven destroyers, HMSArk Royal is attacked by the U-81 under the command of Kapitanleutnant Guggenberger in the Mediterranean., and at 1541, a torpedo strikes the starboard side and the ship immediately takes a 10 degree list. within 20 minutes this list has increased to 18 degrees and Captain Maund orders all only essential crew to remain aboard with the rest of the crew to abandon ship. Destroyer HMS Legion under the command of Commander R. S. Jessel comes alongside and takes most of her crew on board, leaving 250 crew and t Captain Maund to try and save the ship but they have to also abndon ship, and just 14 hours after the torpedo strike HMS Ark Royal rolls over and sinks. from the entire crew their was only only one fatality,Able Seaman E. Mitchell was killed. |
Bismarck by Ivan Berryman. Fairey Swordfish I, L9726 4M of 818 Sqn, HMS Ark Royal pulls a tight, climbing turn through a hail of anti-aircraft fire as its torpedo strikes home, jamming the steering gear of the mighty Bismarck and setting in motion the beginning of her dramatic end. |
Sink the Bismarck by Geoff Lea. Shows the action on 26th May 1941 by Swordfish from HMS Ark Royal on the German battleship Bismarck. Fresh from her triumphant encounter with HMS Hood, Bismarck was struck by Swordfishs torpedo which jammed her rudder and was finished off by the home fleet on 27th May 1941. |
HMS Ark Royal and HMS Sheffield off the Mole, Gibraltar by Ivan Berryman. Having played a vital part in the battle for the Mediterranean for over two years, HMS Ark Royal finally succumbed to a U-Boats torpedo in November 1941. She is shown here with a pair of Swordfish Mk1s of 821 Sqn ranged on the deck, passing the cruiser HMS Sheffield off the Mole, Gibraltar, earlier that same year. |
Flight Against the Bismarck by Philip West. The Royal Navys week long chase of the formidable German battleship Bismarck culminated in the foul evening weather of 26th May 1941. Despite the deck of HMS Ark Royal pitching through 55 feet, S/Lt John Moffat was one of fifteen Swordfish pilots who took off to attack Bismarck. After 90 minutes of arduous and turbulent flying the Swordfish found their quarry and dived through the intense anti-aircraft fire to drop their torpedoes. One of these hit and jammed Bismarcks rudder and condemned the battleship to sail in slow circles. The Royal Navys own capital ships then closed in and pounded Bismarck into a burning wreck. |
On a Wing and a Prayer by Philip West. The venerable Fairy Swordfish was the Fleet Air Arms premier torpedo-bomber at the outbreak of World War II. It may have looked archaic in appearance, but its courageous crews proved time and time again that it was a potent fighting machine. Stringbags as they were affectionately known, served in several important roles and theatres including Coastal Command, the Mediterranean and flying from MAC-ships protecting North Atlantic and Arctic convoys |
Launch Against the Bismarck by Robert Taylor. Late in the day on May 26, 1941, in deteriorating weather, 15 Fairey Swordfish biplanes launched from the heaving deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. Each was armed with a single torpedo, its task to halt the escape of the battleship Bismarck. The navy pilots knew they must succeed before dark: by the following morning the German battleship would reach the protection of Luftwaffe aircraft based in France. Contending with turbulence and sea spray, one by one the Swordfish made their attack, running in just feet above the waves. The frail biplanes were met with a barrage of murderous gunfire, Bismarck bringing all possible armament to bear. Attempting to avoid the in-coming attack, the 42,000 ton battleship was in a high-speed turn when a torpedo from a Number 2 subflight Swordfish struck her steering gear. The explosion irreparably jammed her rudder over 12 degrees sealing the fate of the mighty warship. Unable to steer, all she could do was await the dawn and the arrival of the British Home Fleet. |
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