Pilot trapped 300ft up Portsmouth mast

A century ago on September 14 an extraordinary incident happened on Horsea Island, Portsmouth, when a 300ft radio mast was hit by a seaplane which became wedged in the framework at the top.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Feb 2017, 06:00 BST
Updated 1st Mar 2017, 09:37 BST

Three men climbed the mast to rescue the pilot, who was thrown from his cockpit on to a wing.

I’ll write more about this nearer the date, but I’m hoping there might be surviving family members of the men who were awarded the Albert Medal for their bravery. They were Nicholas Rath, Richard Knowlton and George Abbot. If anyone knows anything about these men, please get in touch.

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• My colleague Tim King recently wrote about HM Submarine Otus, which escaped the clutches of John Pounds’s scrapyard.

She ended up at a U-Boat museum on Germany’s Baltic coast.

Members of the German Amateur Radio Club are planning a worldwide link-up of museum ships from May 19-21, when they will operate from Otus.

The club is keen to contact members of the RN Amateur Radio Society, particularly former Otus crew members.

Contact Mario Kricheldorf (DJ8NU MF 1054), Anna Saur Weg 6, D 17033, Neubrandenburg. His e-mail is [email protected], or call him on +49 395 5683 258.

Related topics:Portsmouth