Grumman 4F4 Wildcat VI Kilbotn Harstad
882 Squadron Fleet Air Arm HMS "Searcher" JV809 04.05 1945
"Operation Judgement". Lieutenant Hugh 'Hughie' Morrison (27) senior pilot and 2nd in command of 882 Squadron. He was from New Zealand and was killed during this attack on the U-boat base at Kilbotn near Harstad. His Wildcat was hit by AA-fire and crashed into the sea. He was brought a shore, but died shortly after. He is buried at Narvik New Cemetery. Operation Judgement" was initiated in order to destroy the U-boat base and store ships used in the U-boat offensive against convoys to Russia. This was to be last offensive naval operation in the war against Germany. A total of 45 airplanes participated in the attack.
The depot ship "Black Watch", supply ship DS "Senja" and the submarine U-711 were both sunk.
An Avenger (JZ217 "C") of 846 Sqdn. was also shot down and crashed on a field and burned. Lt. Francis John Gahan (22), S/Lt. Alasdair Donald Hay Elder (20) and L/A Peter Bernard Mansfield (22.) All three are buried at Sørvik Church yard
Below: aircraft part caught in a fisherman's net some years ago.