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Blackburn Iris MkIII flying boat S1263 was wrecked in sight of hundreds of people enjoying the sunshine on Plymouth Hoe after colliding with a dockyard launch.

Types

Blackburn Iris Mk III (S1263)

History

Blackburn Iris MkIII flying boat S1263 was one of two aircraft (was the other) ordered from The Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co. Ltd, Brough, Yorkshire, to contract 812143/27, at that time the largest flying boats to enter RAF service. The three-engine biplane flying boat was designed as a five seat long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft with aluminium hull and wings and powered by three Rolls-Royce Condor IIIB inline piston engines.  Only five Iris flying boats were built.

January 1930 at 3.15 pm saw the arrival of S1263, named ‘Leda’, after a flight of 550 miles from Yorkshire via Kent to Plymouth.  On the same day, 209 (Flying Boat) Squadron was formed at RAF Mount Batten, Plymouth.  The second Iris III, S1264 arrived in June and both departed for Reykjavik on the 22nd to represent the UK at the Icelandic Parliament Millenary Celebrations.  Only S1264 arrived, S1263 ‘Leda’ having suffered fuel contamination, but the return trip by S1264 was the first non-stop RAF flight between Iceland and the UK.

On 12th January 1933, four flying boats left from Mount Batten for training in the Sound. S1263 had executed a series of practice takeoffs and landings, taking off parallel to the Breakwater and landing between Drakes Island and the Breakwater light. On her last takeoff run, when half way across the Sound at considerable speed she saw a dockyard launch crossing her bows. The pilot thought he would be airborne before the launch crossed her path so carried on, but suddenly the aircraft took a violent swing to port.

Launch No. 144 was heading from Turnchapel to the Breakwater Fort across Plymouth Sound when the crew heard a flying boat behind them, which suddenly swerved towards them at a terrific speed. The plane tried to avoid the launch but the wing struck in a welter of spray; Edward Ham on the launch shouted ‘Look out!’ and threw himself on the deck, there was a crash and he saw the coxswain of the boat lying on the deck.

Immediately the plane sank with its port wing up in the air, just off Ramscliff Point.  At that time some Plymouth fishing drifters were putting to sea and they came to the rescue, along with an RAF rescue craft from Mount Batten.  The crew climbed out of the aircraft on to the wing that was above water and were picked up by the rescue craft before being rushed ashore.

Twenty year old Leading aircraftsman Alfred Dore Slatter (562311) of 3 Westcroft Terrace, Bideford, drowned in the accident, he was in the cockpit of the aircraft watching the instruments at the time of the crash.  Seven of the nine on board the aircraft were injured; Leading Aircraftsman Frederick Leonard Petch sustained severe injuries, while Squadron Leader John Hugh Oscar Jones, the temporary base commander at Mount Batten, Corporal Henry Seward Beale Mace, Norman William Watson, James Douglas Frederick Williams, Francis Joseph Soper, Earnest Alfred Fuller were also injured.  The second pilot, Sergt Pilot John Herbert Claude Saffery escaped unharmed.  Three people on the dockyard launch were swept off their feet when the wing of the aircraft struck the launch; they were W. Ellis, G. Stibbs and the coxswain N. Shade.

Mooring steamer Volens came out to the scene that afternoon to find just one wing tip above the water, divers were sent down to assess the extent of the damage.  

The aircraft was recovered by a salvage ship and taken to Mount Batten where it was lowered on to the slipway at high tide.  Alfred Slatter’s body recovered on 14th January.

An inquest was held into the accident.  An eyewitness, John Willcocks of Torpoint, skipper of the tug Alexandra, said that when the Iris was attempting to take off the starboard and central propellers were rotating but the port engine was idling.  The aircraft had made four landings that same afternoon with no problems other than on the first landing when there was a sharp swing to port.  The Blackburn Iris was known for its tendency to swing to port or starboard, usually corrected by altering the speed of one of the engines, but with the port engine not operating correctly the correction was not possible.  Failure of the engines to operate normally was the verdict of the inquiry.

Location

The aircraft sank off Ramscliff Point but was salvaged shortly after.

Please note that all aircraft in UK waters that have crashed during military service are protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986.

Last updated 29 Aug 2021

Position GPS: Salvaged