JOHN CRUICKSHANK

“HE PRESSED HOME HIS ATTACK, AND RELEASED THE DEPTH CHARGES HIMSELF, STRADDLING THE SUBMARINE PERFECTLY. THE U-BOAT WAS SUNK”
John Cruickshank’s VC citation

As the blanket of clouds parted above the calm surface of the Norwegian Sea, John Appleton, a radar operator aboard a Catalina seaplane, knew he’d found something. The metallic hulk was still some way off, but the equipment before him was building a picture with every mile flown. Slicing through the skies at 95 knots, Appleton knew it wouldn’t be long before they were above the unidentified vessel, a ship he and his fellow crew members would otherwise have missed given the lateness of the hour.

Rising to stand behind the captain and pilot of the plane, John Cruickshank, Appleton informed his superior of what he’d seen. Initially the crew believed the ship was likely an Allied destroyer, so Cruickshank called for the colours of the day to be fired from a pistol and the letters of the day flashed towards the hopefully friendly seafarers. No return