Atomic Mustangs

Mustangs Arrive at Emu Claypan

The aircraft were taken from store at Tocumwal, NSW and flown to Emu Claypan field in April 1953. From there the aircraft were later towed into position on “A frame” skids. Archival cinema film shows a Caterpillar grader and "A-frame" towing one aircraft with a man sitting on its left wing. The main wheels were sitting on metal plates that skidded along the road. It was traditional to taxy tail wheel fighters with a man on the wing to guide the pilot whose forward vision was obstructed the the high nose of the aircraft. In this case the man on the wing was not needed because the aircraft was towed on a skid behind the grader.

Len Beadell describes the mustang arrivals on pages 97 and 98 of his book “Blast the Bush”. He wrote that that they were towed by a D4 bulldozer using the A frame.

At the test site the aircraft were each tied down to 8 by 5 c.w.t. (quarter ton) concrete blocks. Film badges were attached to the back rests of the pilots’ seats to assess radiation exposure of the ficticous crew.

Steel pipes were driven into the ground to mark the position of the wing tips and rudder trailing edge.

Stones and pieces of tree in the vicinity of the aircraft were moved to avoid damage from blown objects.

Explosion Damage

A68-7
CA-17 Mk.20 1332 NA110-34372 n/a Shipped to Australia in sets of parts to start the production line. Delivered to RAAF on 18/07/45. Total flying hours 155, the least hours of the group. (This is a very low number of hours for an aircraft) Located 3700 feet from the explosion facing tail on. It suffered much more damage than the closest aircraft. Damage included, dished in wing tips and a canopy cracked in two places. The rudder was stiff. Scorched fabric on the rudder and burnt paint. Elevator forced hard down, rivets sheared on elevator torque tube so that elevators would not operate. Ailerons damaged but could be repaired, control cables stretched. Flaps and associated hinge and bell crank needed replacement. Aircraft moved away from the blast by 3 inches. Estimated 46 man hours to repair.

A68-35
CA-17 Mk.20 1360 Delivered to RAAF on 10/11/45. Struck off 02/02/54. Total flying hours 390. Located 3900 feet from the weapon with its right side facing the explosion. It suffered some damage including dished in wing tips, slight dishing of the engine cowls forward of the fire wall on the side facing the explosion and damage to the rudder. The rudder was against its left stop which is approximately 15 degrees deflection. The fabric panels in the rudder had burnt out on the side facing the explosion. The fabric was intact on the other side except for looseness and a slight hole near the buckled rib. Slight buckling of the right side flange of the rudder rib 4th from the bottom. The explosion had moved rear of the aircraft and the rudder trailing edge siedways 3 feet 6 inches.

A68-87
CA-17 Mk.22 (Photo reconisance version) Was located at 4100 feet facing left side on to the explosion but sheltered behind an earth rampart. The photo window glass was shattered. The reason for the rampart was to learn what defensive effect the earth shelter would give. The conclusion was that the rampart was not worth while as that it took longer to build the earth works than to effect the aircraft repair man hours saved by the rampart.

This web site author's opinion is that this conclusion may be short sighted, as after an explosion repair materials and man hours would be very difficult to obtain. Immediately servicable aircraft would be invaluable.
(The rampart is still there on the ridge as one approaches Totem 1 site from the west.)

A68-30
CA-17 Mk.20 1355 n/a Delivered to RAAF 1 November 1945 and struck off 31/03/53. It was located at 4900 feet facing tail on to the explosion; its

A68-1
CA-17 Mk.20 1326 Shipped to Australia in sets of parts to start the production line. First CA-17 Mk.20, First Flight 05/46. Delivered 04/06/45. Was located 5100 feet from the Totem 1 nuclear test with its right side facing the explosion. Apparently still flying in the first decade of 21st century in the USA as N51WB.

What happened after the explosion.

In 1966 an RAAF helicopter landed at the test site X-200 and took tacho-geneators from mustang aircraft that also fitted the helicopter.

The mustangs in Memorial Drive Port Pirie on their way to Adelaide.
Photo used with the kind permission of the trucking team leader, Mr Clayton .

In the late 1960s a clean up took place. The aircraft were tendered out and according to noted aviation author Stewart Wilson and other references they were purchased by a consortium including Peter Hookway. The remains of all six aircraft were sent to USA in 1968.

Stewart Wilson's book (avilable in Australia and UK and occasionally through second hand sources) "The spitfire, Mustang and Kittyhawk in Australian Service" has 3 photos and information on the salvaging of these aircraft in the late 1960s.  The books "Blast the Bush" and Maralinga by Tame & Robotham also have photos.

The webmaster, then a junior engineer met Peter Hookway in about 1974. At that time he was offering ex RAAF Canberra Avon gas turbine engines for power generator use.   The author was told by his boss that the Canberra aircraft were purchased by a Hookway aviation, dismantled and stored in the former Gas and Fuel installation at Morwell. Apparently the Rhodesian white minority government was interested in buying the bombers but an Australian export licence could not be obtained. The Rhodesian government was subject to sanctions.

Hookway aviation also operated a helicopter service across the river in Hobart after the bridge collapsed following a collision by a ship.

References

Bibliography

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Last revised 5 August 2009.

The background colour of this page is the webmaster's recollection of the colour of the sky at Emu Claypan.