I am grateful to Michael McMullan, son of Lieutenant Robert McC McMullan RNVR, for sending me the following extract from The Western Evening Herald of 2 January 1946. At this time, following the War, HMS Rushen Castle was on Air Sea Rescue duty in the North Atlantic.
OPERATION SANTA CLAUS
WHICH BEGAN FROM CORNWALL
ATLANTIC DRAMA OF SEA AND AIR STRUGGLE IN A GALE
In a howling gale a giant Liberator of No 224 Squadron, Coastal Command, Royal Air Force, took off from St Eval, Cornwall, on an Atlantic mission. That mission is unofficially described in RAF records as "Operation Santa Claus".
It was in accordance with the best traditions of inter-Service camaraderie and mutual assistance that the flight took place.
Six hundred miles out in the Atlantic was a naval vessel, the Rushen Castle, and there seemed to be little prospect of the men getting their Christmas mail. Naval authorities contacted the Royal Air Force and a crew was detailed for the job.
Such were the adverse weather conditions, however, that it was left to the discretion of the pilot (Flg Off Mathieson) whether he took off.
LIKE A NIGHTMARE
What followed was almost a nightmare for even experienced airmen, all of whom became air sick, for such was the turbulence over the sea that the aircraft hurtled upward at 4,000 feet a minute on some occasions.
There was risk of lightning, and so heavy were the clouds that the pilot was forced to go over 100 miles off his course to circumvent them.
Below, the airmen saw tremendous seas, but after a seven-hours' flight the naval vessel was contacted.
After a short exchange of seasonal greetings the precious mail was dropped near the vessel by means of the Bircham barrel. This useful container is used for dropping rations at sea.
SHIP AMAZED AIRMEN
The airmen were amazed a ship could live in such seas, for they saw her standing almost on her bows and stern alternately.
Some idea of the force of the wind can be gauged from the fact that whereas the outward trip took seven hours the Liberator was able to touch down at St Eval on the return voyage in just over two hours.
This episode of the modern Santa Claus not only exemplifies the spirit of camaraderie, but, as Service men, the air crew knew how much mail meant to their comrades at sea, and the flight was well worth the risk.
The naval men would be the first to show their appreciation of a job in keeping with the real spirit of "Santa Claus".
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© Copyright R McC McMullan 2007 – reproduced here with his kind permission.
I found these photographs in Lieutenant Robert McMullan's album - against them he writes, "Aftermath of the Storm - there was a big swell running."
