Westbank Antiques

Description

Wonderful Oil painting of a Hawker sea fury shooting down. Jet.

Peter “Hoagy” Carmichael was a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot who during the Korean War obtained the rare distinction of being credited with shooting down a MiG-15 while flying a Hawker Sea Fury - the only confirmed kill by a British pilot of a piston-engined aircraft over a jet fighter.

After Joining the Navy in 1942, he was sent to Pensacola for his flying training and then on to South Africa. His first action occurred in May 1944, flying Seafires with 889 Squadron from HMS Atheling in the Bay of Bengal. Later in 1945 now with 1834 squadron and flying off HMS Victorious, he took part in ground attacks against oil refineries in Sumatra, Japanese airfields in Okinawa and very late in the war he was also engaged in flying operations with the US 3rd Fleet against mainland Japan (in Vought F4U Corsairs).

After WW2, Carmichael flew the Blackburn Firebrand, before converting to the Hawker Sea Fury in June 1948. Then in April 1952 Carmichael’s squadron (NAS 802) deployed to Korea aboard HMS Ocean.

On 9 August 1952 Carmichael was leading a four aircraft formation to attack railway facilities between Manchon and Pyongyang. Somewhere north of Chinnampo Lt. Carl Haines (Carmichael’s No. 2 wingman) reported ‘eight bogies, 4 o’clock’ and stream of tracer came in. Describing the action in his own words, Carmichael said “We all turned towards the MiGs and commenced a scissors. It soon became apparent that four MiGs were after each section of two Furies, but by continuing our break turns, we presented impossible targets. They made no attempt to bracket us. One MiG came at me head on. I saw his heavy tracer shells. I fired a burst, then he flashed past me. I believe Carl got some hits on him too. This aircraft then broke away, and went head on to my Nos 3 & 4, (Lts. Pete Davies & 'Smoo' Ellis). They were seen to get good hits on one who broke away with smoke coming from him”. The dog-fight lasted 4-5 minutes, after which the MiGs disappeared as quickly as they had come. As they departed, one aircraft was seen to crash into a hillside, and blow up. Lt. Carmichael was credited with this kill and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (although to be fair, it has to be said that because no gun-site cameras were fitted to the aircraft, some doubt exists as to whether the credit should have gone to a single pilot, or to the entire flight).

In 1960, Carmichael became Commanding Officer of NAS 806 based at Lossiemouth flying Hawker Sea Hawks. After leaving the service he then went on to serve as Commanding Officer of T.S. Prince of Wales, the Holyhead Sea Cadet unit and was also the President of the HMS Ocean Association.