John Moffat (pilot)
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| John William Charlton Moffat | |
|---|---|
| Born 1919 | |
| Place of birth | Kelso, United Kingdom |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Navy/Fleet Air Arm |
| Years of service | 1939-1946 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Commander |
| Unit | HMS Ark Royal with 759 Naval Air Squadron HMS Argus with 818 Naval Air Squadron HMS Furious with 820 Naval Air Squadron HMS Formidable with 824 Naval Air Squadron |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
John Moffat (b. 1919) was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot, famous for crippling the German battleship Bismarck during Operation Rheinübung on 26 May 1941, whilst flying a Fairey Swordfish biplane.
[edit] Naval Career
John Moffat joined the Royal Navy in September 1939. In December he moved to a flying school in Belfast. Moffat originally trained on Gloster Gladiator and Blackburn Skuas. Moffat was then transferred to 818 Squadron HMS Ark Royal, based at Gibraltar in January 1941. On 24 May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck sunk the Royal Navy battlecruiser HMS Hood, and HMS Ark Royal was released, as part of Force H, to hunt down Bismarck and sink her. On 26 May 1941 the Bismarck was nearing the safety of the French port Saint-Nazaire. A last ditch attempt to slow the battleship down, so that the British heavy units could catch up with her, was made that night.
At 21:05 hours, Moffat and his observer T/S-Lt.(A) J. D. "Dusty" Miller, flying in the Fairey Swordfish 5C/L9726, crippled the Bismarck with a hit on her port stern. The blow jammed Bismarck's rudder 12° to port. This enabled the Home Fleet and Force H to catch up with and destroy Bismarck.
[edit] After the War
Moffat left the Navy in 1946 and returned to Glasgow. He went to college in Glasgow to get a business degree and also achieved a diploma in hotel management. Moffat had stopped flying after leaving the Navy. In his 60s, after 40 years, he began flying again.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.loop.aero/features/features/2006/January/6 John Moffat interview
