Catalina affair
Encyclopedia
The Catalina affair was an incident on June 13, 1952, when a Swedish
military Douglas DC-3A-360 Skytrain
flying over the Baltic Sea
carrying out signals intelligence gathering operations for the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment
(FRA), disappeared east of the isle of Gotska Sandön
.
Three days later, two Swedish military Catalina
flying boats searched for the DC-3 north of Estonia
. One of the planes was shot down by Soviet
warplanes but the crew ditched near the West German freighter Münsterland and were rescued.
(61st Troop Carrier Group
). It saw action in northern Africa before being stationed at RAF Barkston Heath
. It was flown February 5, 1946, from Orly Air Base
via Hanau Army Airfield to Bromma and was registered as SE-APZ May 18, 1946 as a civilian aircraft to Skandinaviska Aero AB.
The aircraft was lost with its entire crew of eight in the incident. Three of the eight crew members were military personnel from the Swedish Air Force
and the other five were civilian signals intelligence (SIGINT) operators from the National Defence Radio Establishment:
The aircraft shot down on the rescue mission on June 16, 1952, was a Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina, known in Swedish service as Tp 47, carrying airframe serial 47002. All five crew members were rescued.
Tage Erlander
, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev
admitted that the Soviet Union had shot down the DC-3. This information was not released to the public at the time.
Sweden maintained for nearly 40 years that the plane was undertaking a navigation training flight. Only after pressure from crew member families, Swedish authorities did confirm that the DC-3 was equipped with British equipment and it had been spying for NATO.
In 1991, General Sjinkarenko admitted he had ordered the DC-3 shot down in 1952 by scrambling a MiG-15bis to intercept it.
at 126 m (413.4 ft) depth. Some time later the Catalina was also found, 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) east of the official splashdown point.
After 52 years, the remains of the DC-3 were lifted to the surface on March 19, 2004 by freezing the wreck with some 200 m³ (7,062.9 cu ft) of sediments. The wreck was transferred to Muskö naval base
for investigation and preservation, and was finally put on display at Swedish Air Force Museum, Linköping on May 13, 2009. A 1:12 scale model of 79001 was loaned to Air Force Museum on May 5, 2009.
fighter. The exact splash down time was also determined, as one of the clocks in the cockpit had stopped at 11:28:40 CET
. To this date the remains of four of the eight-man crew have been found and positively identified.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
military Douglas DC-3A-360 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
flying over the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
carrying out signals intelligence gathering operations for the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment
Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment
The National Defence Radio Establishment is a civilian establishment subordinate to the Ministry of Defence. The two main tasks of FRA are signals intelligence and support to government authorities and state owned companies regarding IT security.Interception of signals is done from fixed sites on...
(FRA), disappeared east of the isle of Gotska Sandön
Gotska Sandön
Gotska Sandön is an uninhabited Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, situated some 38 kilometres north of Fårö. It is approximately 9 kilometres long and 6 kilometres wide, and its area is approximately 36 km²....
.
Three days later, two Swedish military Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
flying boats searched for the DC-3 north of Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. One of the planes was shot down by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
warplanes but the crew ditched near the West German freighter Münsterland and were rescued.
Aircraft and crew
The Douglas DC-3A-360 Skytrain lost on June 13, 1952, was a military transport derivative of DC-3, known in Swedish service as Tp 79, carried serial number 79001. The aircraft was manufactured in 1943 with original US serial number 42-5694 and delivered to USAAF 15th Troop Carrier Squadron15th Airlift Squadron
The 15th Airlift Squadron is part of the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
(61st Troop Carrier Group
61st Air Base Group
The 61st Air Base Group is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 61st Air Base Wing of Air Force Space Command. The unit is stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California....
). It saw action in northern Africa before being stationed at RAF Barkston Heath
RAF Barkston Heath
RAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire.RAF Barkston Heath is the home of the Defence Elementary Flying Training School which, for a period between approximately 1995-2010 operated the Slingsby T67M260 Firefly two seat trainer. The school now operates the Grob...
. It was flown February 5, 1946, from Orly Air Base
Orly Air Base
Orly Air Base was located at Aeroport de Paris-Orly, nine miles south of Paris, France off Autoroute A6/A10m with a highway exit directly into the base....
via Hanau Army Airfield to Bromma and was registered as SE-APZ May 18, 1946 as a civilian aircraft to Skandinaviska Aero AB.
The aircraft was lost with its entire crew of eight in the incident. Three of the eight crew members were military personnel from the Swedish Air Force
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded...
and the other five were civilian signals intelligence (SIGINT) operators from the National Defence Radio Establishment:
- Alvar Älmeberg (pilot)
- Gösta Blad (navigator/radio operator)
- Herbert Mattson (flight engineer)
- Einar Jonsson (SIGINT group leader)
- Ivar Svensson (SIGINT operator)
- Erik Carlsson (SIGINT operator)
- Bengt Book (SIGINT operator)
- Börge Nilsson (SIGINT operator)
The aircraft shot down on the rescue mission on June 16, 1952, was a Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina, known in Swedish service as Tp 47, carrying airframe serial 47002. All five crew members were rescued.
Aftermath
The USSR denied shooting down the DC-3, but a few days later a life raft with Soviet shell shrapnel was found. In 1956, while meeting the Swedish Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Sweden
The Prime Minister is the head of government in the Kingdom of Sweden. Before the creation of the office of a Prime Minister in 1876, Sweden did not have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the King, in whom the executive authority was vested...
Tage Erlander
Tage Erlander
was a Swedish politician. He was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister of Sweden from 1946 to 1969...
, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
admitted that the Soviet Union had shot down the DC-3. This information was not released to the public at the time.
Sweden maintained for nearly 40 years that the plane was undertaking a navigation training flight. Only after pressure from crew member families, Swedish authorities did confirm that the DC-3 was equipped with British equipment and it had been spying for NATO.
In 1991, General Sjinkarenko admitted he had ordered the DC-3 shot down in 1952 by scrambling a MiG-15bis to intercept it.
Recovery
On June 10, 2003, a Swedish company Marin Mätteknik AB found the remains of the downed DC-3 by using sonarSonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
at 126 m (413.4 ft) depth. Some time later the Catalina was also found, 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) east of the official splashdown point.
After 52 years, the remains of the DC-3 were lifted to the surface on March 19, 2004 by freezing the wreck with some 200 m³ (7,062.9 cu ft) of sediments. The wreck was transferred to Muskö naval base
Muskö naval base
Muskö naval base is a Swedish underground naval facility on the island of Muskö just south of Stockholm in Haninge Municipality ....
for investigation and preservation, and was finally put on display at Swedish Air Force Museum, Linköping on May 13, 2009. A 1:12 scale model of 79001 was loaned to Air Force Museum on May 5, 2009.
Conclusion
Bullet holes on 79001 showed that the DC-3 was shot down by a MiG-15bisMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all straight-winged enemy fighters in...
fighter. The exact splash down time was also determined, as one of the clocks in the cockpit had stopped at 11:28:40 CET
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
. To this date the remains of four of the eight-man crew have been found and positively identified.