The rugged and windswept coastline of the Isle of Mull holds many secrets, particularly regarding the history of military aviation. From the desperate years of the Second World War through the tense, silent battles of the Cold War, the mist-shrouded peaks and turbulent waters of the Hebrides have claimed numerous aircraft. While many locals and historians know the island’s more famous aviation incidents, such as the miraculous survival story of the Dakota on Ben Talaidh or the baffling events surrounding Peter Gibbs, one tragedy often remains in the shadows. This narrative explores the fate of the Avro 696 Shackleton MR.2, registered as WL746, which plunged into the sea in 1953 and took the lives of every soul on board.
The Shackleton: A Cold War Sentinel
To grasp the magnitude of the WL746 tragedy, we must first appreciate the machine itself. The Avro Shackleton served as the backbone of Britain’s maritime patrol fleet during the early Cold War. Powered by four Rolls-Royce Griffon engines, the aircraft produced a distinctive, deep resonance that became a familiar sound over the Scottish coast during the era.
Avro developed the Shackleton from the legendary Lancaster and Lincoln bombers, purpose-building it for long-range anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue operations. Engineers designed this large aircraft to be endurance-heavy and packed it with radar equipment and sonobuoys. Its primary role involved patrolling the North Atlantic for hours on end to track Soviet submarines, a critical task as geopolitical tensions rose between East and West. WL746 represented a Mark 2 variant, featuring a streamlined nose and improved weaponry compared to its predecessors. At the time of the crash, the Royal Air Force’s finest crews operated this cutting-edge tool of defense.
The Mission: December 11, 1953
On Friday, December 11, 1953, WL746 sat on the tarmac at RAF Ballykelly in Northern Ireland. The station buzzed with activity as a critical base for Coastal Command operations. Commanders briefed the crew of ten for a routine but demanding night exercise. The mission objectives were specific and two-fold. First, the plan required them to conduct a radar homing exercise on a submarine positioned near Lough Foyle and Rathlin Island. Following this, they scheduled a night navigation exercise, known as a Navex, across the complex geography of the Scottish West Coast.
The weather that evening typified a Scottish winter, characterized by poor visibility, low cloud ceilings, and gusty winds. The aircraft departed in the afternoon to begin the exercise. As the winter sun set and darkness enveloped the Hebrides, the crew proceeded with their mission, navigating the challenging conditions of the coastal environment.
The Crash: Silence in the Sound
The exercise initially proceeded without incident. The crew made regular radio contact, checking in as they maneuvered through their assigned sectors. Their last known transmission occurred at 17:15, confirming their position. However, a haunting silence followed that final check-in. Back on the ground, anxiety mounted as the expected reporting time passed with no word from the aircraft.
On the Isle of Mull and the adjacent mainland of Argyll, a terrifying sound broke the silence rather than a radio call. Civilians in the area reported hearing the aircraft flying low over the terrain, followed almost immediately by a dull explosion and the sound of an impact. WL746 had struck the water, vanishing into the darkness of the Sound of Mull.
The Search and Discovery
When WL746 failed to return to RAF Ballykelly, authorities immediately launched a massive search and rescue operation. The bleak reality became clear quickly as naval vessels, including HMS Volage, arrived on the scene. Search teams located substantial wreckage in the water during that fateful December, confirming the total loss of the aircraft. Debris also washed ashore on the coast of Mull and the nearby mainland, including shattered parts of the fuselage and personal effects belonging to the crew.
Unlike some mysteries where wreckage remains lost for years, the recovery efforts for WL746 began almost immediately. The Royal Navy and search teams worked in the difficult winter conditions of December 1953 to recover what they could from the Sound of Mull, bringing a somber closure to the initial phase of the tragedy.
Investigation: The Unanswered Questions
The RAF convened a Board of Inquiry to determine the cause of the disaster. Without the modern “black boxes” or Flight Data Recorders that investigators rely on today, the team had to reconstruct the final moments based on physical evidence and witness statements. The inquiry determined that the aircraft struck the water while in a starboard turn.
Despite the investigation, the Board of Inquiry did not identify a definitive cause for the crash. While the aircraft clearly impacted the sea during a maneuver, the specific reason for the loss of altitude remains unconfirmed. Unlike modern investigations that might pinpoint mechanical failure or pilot error with certainty, the loss of WL746 remains an open tragedy of the Cold War era—an operational loss during hazardous training where the exact sequence of events disappeared with the crew.
A Landscape of Aviation History
The loss of WL746 represents a somber chapter in a larger narrative of aviation history on the Isle of Mull. The island seems to occupy a perilous position on flight paths, having witnessed several significant incidents over the decades.
While the Shackleton crash resulted in the total loss of life, other incidents on the island had different, albeit equally dramatic, outcomes. You can read about how the crash of the Dakota KK194 on Ben Talaidh serves as a counterpoint to this tragedy; locals often remember it as a “miracle” because survivors escaped the wreckage despite the severity of the impact. That story stands in stark contrast to the silence that followed the Shackleton’s plunge into the Sound.
Not all aviation incidents on Mull involve straightforward crashes. The island also hosts the Great Mull Air Mystery involving Peter Gibbs, a baffling case that combines aviation with an unsolved disappearance, leaving investigators and locals puzzled for decades. These stories, from the tragic loss of the Shackleton crew to the miraculous Dakota survivors and the mysterious fate of Peter Gibbs, weave together to form a complex tapestry of heritage that defines the island’s relationship with the sky.
The Human Cost: Remembering the Crew
We must look past the serial numbers and mechanics to remember the ten men who never returned home. They were sons, husbands, and fathers serving their country. Flight Lieutenant Fielding Chevallier and Flight Sergeant Arthur Gordon McReavy commanded the flight deck. Flying Officer Horace Alexander Brown and Pilot Officer Alfred Brinkman navigated the aircraft through the dark winter skies. Sergeants Maurice Wilfred Richard Griffin and Patrick William Harrington manned the engineering systems. In the rear of the aircraft, Sergeants Lewis Ralph Allen, Michael Barron Bern, John Dodd, and Maurice James Griffin handled the signals and radar equipment.
