helipad | www.daat.org
26
plymouth
Two Alexanders, a Lawrence, a Winston and a fascinating history
Plymouth is renowned for its historic Hoe, the Elizabethan Barbican and the Sound, one of the world’s greatest natural harbours. Yet a visit to a largely under-explored part of Plymouth can reveal hidden history, fine buildings and a very strong sense of community. Helipad’s Neil Devons takes us on a tour of Mount Batten, Oreston and Turnchapel
T
o the south-east of the city across the Cattewater where the river Plym flows into Plymouth Sound lies Mount Batten - known for years as an RAF Flying Boat Station and now home to a water sports and activities centre. You can get to Mount Batten either by water taxi from Phoenix Wharf on the Barbican or by passing though the communities of Hooe and nearby Turnchapel. Along with Oreston on the southern bank of the Cattewater, these delightful locations have retained the feel of waterside villages although, in reality, they are now suburbs of Plymouth.
Flying boats, Churchill and Aircraftman Shaw Mount Batten is a landmark in every sense. Surrounded by water, this small peninsula is an 80 foot high rocky outcrop with a 17th century artillery tower and a pier that acts as a breakwater, Mount Batten was home to flying boats and other air-sea activities for 73 years until it finally closed in 1986. Its association with aviation began in 1913 with trial flights before it became a Royal Naval Air Station in 1917. A year later this service merged with the Royal Flying Corps to form the RAF and the installation was renamed RAF Cattewater and renamed again in 1928 to RAF Mount Batten. The first ever airborne crossing of the Atlantic took place in 1919 and culminated in one of the three United States Curtis Flying boats that had flown from New York landing at Mount Batten after several stops on the way. In 1986, a flight of two PBY Catalinas re-enacted that crossing and the crowds on Plymouth Hoe witnessed the sight of one of them hitting a buoy as it ‘landed’ in front of them and nearly sank. Fortunately no one was badly injured and the flying boat was taken to the Sunderland hangars at Mount Batten to be repaired. Many different classes of flying boat were stationed at RAF Mount Batten but none more famous than the Short Sunderland built for long range reconnaissance. Just days after the start of World War II, on September 9th 1939 a Sunderland piloted by Flight-Lieutenant Barrett dropped bombs on a German U-Boat and recued the entire crew of the stricken SS Kensington Court which had been hit by a torpedo. Barrett was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) at the very first wartime investiture. Another notable flight landed at Mount Batten in January 1942 when a Boeing Berwick flying boat arrived from the USA carrying Winston Churchill. It is said he took over the
