'Four Engines Down...'
21/05/2007
I served in the RAF from 1966 to 1988 as an Aircraft Engine Fitter. My last five years were spent at RAF Halton as an instructor, the RAF’s Technical College in lovely Buckinghamshire. One of the aircraft I had worked on was the legendary Shackleton, a slightly updated post-war version of the Lancaster bomber, but fitted with four RR Griffon piston engines, and an additional pair of jet engines on the Mk3 Phase 3 models. The Shackleton was a maritime aircraft that spent hours and hours searching the oceans for submarines. I used to tell this story to my trainees at Royal Air Force, Halton, who were mostly youngsters heading out into the RAF as engine technicians, and mechanics. It is probably totally untrue, but then such stories make the best ones.....
“ One fine early sunny morning at RAF St. Mawgan, in the early 1960's, a Shackleton aircrew wandered out to their steed for the day, a nice new Mk3 Phase 3, with tricycle undercarriage. It sat waiting expectantly ready serviced, full of fuel, and ready to go. The crew settled into their various stations in the fuselage, and the engines were all started up one by one. Checks were carried out, chocks away, and off it taxied to the runway. For the unwary, the Shackleton has four piston engines with contra-rotating propellers, but the Mk3 had two extra engines, to assist it into the air, as it was a lot heavier than the Mk2. These engines were Bristol-Siddeley Viper jet engines, similar to those fitted to the Jet Provost trainer. They differed in that they could run on Avgas,( high octane petrol, the same fuel the Griffons used ) where normally a jet engine used Avtur or Avtag ( a posh name for paraffin.) The hotter running Avgas shortened the jets running lives due to the hotter running of the turbines. They were mounted behind the normal Griffon Vee 12 piston engines and contra-rotating propellers, in the outer nacelles, but were only used to get the heavy kite into the air during take-off. Jet engines burning Avgas tend to produce quite a bit of black smoke. To the uninitiated the Shackleton looks a lot like a WW2 Lancaster, and is often mistaken for one by our American friends.
It was another routine search pattern ‘jolly’ over the Atlantic, and a boring one. The aircraft wending its way back and forth along a grid pattern, looking for a US submarine known to be in the area, as well as anything else of interest. Then one of the crew spotted a blip on the radar screen, a ship on the horizon. So the pilot persuaded the 10,000 rivets flying in loose formation to turn and headed towards it. As they drew near to it, the fine outline of a United States of America Navy aircraft carrier loomed up on the horizon. Our intrepid aircrew, being a little bored, decided to have a bit of fun.
The Shackleton was only some 500 feet above the waves as it flew towards the carrier, some miles away. The carrier saw the aircraft, and tried to contact it by radio. Getting no reply they then sent out some signals by lamp. The Shackleton did not seem to be receiving any messages. Perhaps its radio was broken. Instead, it flew slowly round in a large arc till it faced the carrier into wind, the normal way any aircraft intending to 'land' does. ( Flying ‘into wind’ helps to slow down the landing speed.) Many of the carrier’s crew came up on deck to see this museum piece flying around. Now the crew on the carrier could see the Shack had its two outboard engines feathered,( engine stopped, prop blades facing forwards for least resistance,) and they assumed this was the cause of its low height and slow speed. They did not know the Shack normally flew slowly. To the carrier it seemed to have two ‘broken’ engines.
Still some miles away, the port inner prop was seen to splutter to a stop, and auto-feather. Some alarm now swept over the carrier’s crew as it was realised the huge British WW2 Bomber was on an approach to them intending to land on their deck, and now only had one engine. Frantic arm waving, flares, whistles and lamp signals were everywhere; the deck was full of parked Phantom fighters with their wings folded up. The Shack continued on its approach, now seemingly very, very low clipping the waves, and only just keeping up a speed above a stall, on its one remaining engine.
Then black smoke was seen to billow from the rear of the two outer engines nacelles, and a growling whine could be heard above the single struggling Griffon. This stricken bomber was on fire. Now out and out panic set aboard the carrier...this stupid RAF pilot was about to try land a huge four engined vintage bomber on their crowded deck, AND the thing was on fire. About half a mile out the last remaining engine was seen to cough to a stop, and auto-feather its prop. This must be the end they all thought, but no, an incredulous carrier crew watched the Shack unfailingly continue on its approach towards them, with NO engines and black smoke pouring out behind it. By now three bulldozers had been shoving perfectly serviceable Phantoms off the edge of the decks into the sea to make room for the bomber. If this maniac was going to land on them, at least they could provide a clear deck.
Now the unbelievable began, as they saw with their own eyes, a huge British World War Two bomber, on fire and flying towards them with NO engines, that was beginning to CLIMB. As it approached the threshold of the deck, it had climbed 200 feet above the sea. The now cleared deck that had been expecting a very nasty landing was passing underneath the Shack. All eyes were on it, as first one, then two, then three, and then the fourth Griffon engine were started up again. By the time this WW2 Bomber had flown a couple of thousand feet behind the carrier, it was climbing away strongly on all six of its engines. Off over the horizon it went, and the poor Captain of a UAS carrier had a lot of explaining to do about the loss of so many Phantoms.”
Was it true, or just a crew-room story?
Neil Cairns