20 July 1942 - Force Landing of a Catalina near Palm Island

A Catalina at Mackay Airport - 1961

A Catalina at Mackay airport - 1961

On Monday morning 20 July 1942, RAAF Catalina A24-27 of 11 Squadron RAAF piloted by Brian Hartley "Tubby" Higgins 400620, made a forced landing near Palm Island while ferrying wounded troops from Horn Island.

VDC observers Privates Dave Robinson and Bill Buckle of the Volunteer Defence Corps whilst sitting on some high rocks at their Observation Post heard the explosion of a large 500 lb bomb out to sea and immediately noticed an RAAF Catalina losing height. A minute or two later it appeared to them that it had crashed into the sea. They immediately notified Corporal William McNamee by telephone at their V.D.C. HQs. McNamee notified the Navy and instructed Mr. Fredrick A. Krause, the local schoolmaster and scoutmaster on Palm Island to standby with his 20 foot motor launch.

Instructions came back to proceed to the crash site if required. Mr. Krause made allowance for wind drift and tide and his position to the west of the O.P. and set a course 15 degrees East. Cpl. McNamee had been told by Robinson and Buckle the aircraft's position was 20 degrees East and 10 to 12 miles or more from the shore. Another phone call reported that the aircraft appeared to be sinking. In fact what was happening was that it was slowly drifting out to sea and was getting smaller to the eye to see.

Mr. Krause, Cpl. McNamee, the local doctor and an officer from the settlement boarded Krause's launch and headed out to the downed aircraft. Another launch soon approached them and the doctor and the local officer transferred to that launch which had to return and refuel and find a white officer as its skipper.

About 30 minutes later Krause and McNamee reached the distressed Catalina. They dropped their anchor and they were immediately chastised by the skipper of the Catalina and told "For God's sake don't anchor there! We are drifting in your direction very fast."

They moved their launch just in time as the starboard wing of the Catalina just missed crashing down on the deck of their launch by a few inches. They dropped anchor again and Krause jumped into his 8 foot flattie and rowed over to the Catalina. The seas were very rough and he was nearly pushed under by the steps on the port site of the Catalina.

Flight Lieutenant Brian "Tubby" Higgins, the pilot of the Catalina, told Krause that he was uncertain whether a supply of fuel was being brought to him by a RAAF Crash Boat or a mercy boat. He told Krause that he would not be able to take off in the rough seas even if he did receive fuel.

Krause asked what would happen if the Catalina was left to drift in the rough seas. Higgins advised that if the floats did not get bashed off the aircraft they should survive, but if the floats were knocked off the aircraft anything could happen. Several of the fourteen personnel on the Catalina were spread out on the upper part of the starboard wing to keep the port float above the tops of the large waves.

Krause offered to tow the Catalina to a safe anchorage about 17 - 18 miles away. Higgins expressed concern that his little launch was capable of such a mission. A towrope was secured to the Catalina and the stern of the launch. The ten ton Catalina started to move through the rough seas. The men on the Catalina stood and watched every move of the tow operation.

It was just after midday by the time they were underway and their small boat was bobbing around in the rough seas like a cork. Some time later they heard a loud cracking noise when the tow line snapped. The tow line was then threaded around the two uprights that supported the sundeck. Some time later someone noticed that the tow line was cutting through the uprights. Some old rags were then stuffed between the rope and the stanchions. Eventually the rope broke again. They reattached the rope more securely around the stanchions.

The sea was too rough to allow them to transfer men from the Catalina to the launch. They realised they need to have more weight at the tail end of the launch so Krause moved a drum of fuel oil to the stern of the launch while Cpl. McNamee took over the wheel. During this time a cross-wave hit the launch causing the launch to roll and plunge but luckily it did not capsize. Krause was just stepping back into the wheel house and he slipped and fell between the engine and the cabin bunk hurting his back quite badly. He was able to continue on for the rest of the journey in considerable pain.

They approached the channel at the northern entrance to their anchorage as the sun was dropping towards the distant mainland hills. The 20 foot launch towing the 10 ton 104 feet wingspan Catalina must have been a sight to behold. As dusk was imminent, after a 6 hour tortuous journey they moored in front of their V.D.C. post.

They spotted a boat's light coming across the bay towards them. The Catalina flashed its Aldis lamp and the other boat pulled alongside the Catalina. The crew onboard the other boat were surprised to see the Catalina as they had expected to be spending the night looking for her.

After the Catalina was refuelled, her crew and the wounded soldiers that they were transporting went ashore to the V.D.C. post. They were afforded the hospitality of the officers at the post and the fourteen men were billeted in the staff houses.

The rescued men paid high tribute to the very skilful way that Flight Lieutenant Brian Higgins and his co-pilot Cowan, had landed the Catalina in the very rough seas.

The aircraft was not seriously damaged, as it was on another search mission around the Cairns and Horn Island area on 22 July 1942.

Unfortunately Flight Lieutenant Brian Higgins lost his life in a similar dangerous landing in Catalina A24-39 of 3 OTU in rough seas off the New South Wales coast near Port Stephens on 24 May 1943.

Riddell, Jack, "Catalina Squadrons - First and Furthest - Recounting the Operations of RAAF Catalinas - May 1941 to March 1943"

"On Guard - with the Volunteer Defence Corps" by Australian War Memorial, Canberra, A.C.T. 1944

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