Depth Charge! Top Autobiographies

During my Naval career, there were many incidents that occurred that I will never forget.
Here is another excerpt from the book "Running For Home" which highlights one of those incidents:

Depth Charge! Top Autobiographies

"The depth charge looked like a large bomb, complete with fins but with a flat nose instead of a cone. It was set at a very shallow depth which would give the maximum effect for display purposes. We took off, depth charge at the ready. It was a totally brilliant moment and one of the best in my career. It was one of those unforgettable moments that live with you for the rest of your life.

We flew along the port side of the ship. The direction of the wind was directly onto the port (left) side of the ship. After a few dummy runs the pilot said; “What do you reckon, do you think that this is about the right distance?” It was difficult to judge, after all, we’d never dropped a live depth charge before. Too far away and it would lose its impact. Too close and being a real depth charge, well no-one knew what would happen.

The pilot had the release button on his joystick. I said it looked about right. He flicked up the safety catch, hesitated then pressed it. We could feel the thing release as the weight came off. Between the conversation and the actual impact with the sea, the distance between the ship and the now loose depth charge had somehow terrifyingly diminished. Still, it would certainly be impressive for the numerous onlookers that festooned the decks of the Lowestoft.

On release, the pilot had immediately banked over to get the best view. It was naturally panoramic since as usual, we were flying without doors on. I knew F was there amongst the onlookers and indeed the decks were crowded.

The depth charge plunged into the sea. The pilot and I could clearly see its trace of bubbles as it charged below the waves. There was a slight pause. Longer than I had imagined, then, as it detonated, a large dome in the sea appeared and the shock wave shot out at an astounding rate, right through the ship. After this, came the most incredible fountain of water I have ever seen. By now, the ship and this huge spout of water seemed so close as to be quite shocking. It shot skyward and it seemed as though it was reaching out to consume us. The view was remarkable as the huge water fountain, blown by the wind continued like some sort of monsoon and began to devour the whole ship".

Find out what happens in the aftermath of this incident by reading the book by going to this link Running For Home and thanks for looking at Top Autobiographies.