Crash Site Fairey Barracuda Mk.II

Scattered here and there in the mountains near Alta are the wreckage of a Fairey Barracuda dive-bomber that crashed here in April 1944 during Operation Tungsten, the attack on the German battleship Tirpitz in the Kåfjord.

Most probably this concerns the Barracuda of 829 Squadron FAA 52nd Marine TBR (Torpedo Bomber Reconnaissance) Wing.

The aircraft which came from HMS Victorious had been hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into a mountain. Two crew members, Sub Lt.Hubert Horace Richardson and Sub Lt.Andrew George Cannon were killed in the crash, a third E. Carroll was taken prisoner of war. Richardson and Cannon are buried in Tromsø cemetery.

Several aircraft crashed in this area at the time of the Tirpitz attack. It would therefore be possible that this is not a Barracuda but a Corsair Hellcat that also came down here.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: Sven Adriaens
• Photos: Sven Adriaens
• Barracuda Alta