CAM ships made operational launches in Arctic, Atlantic, and Gibraltar convoys. Hurricanes chased away or destroyed Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condors, Blohm & Voss Bv 138 flying boats, Heinkel He 111s, and a Ju 88, but the one-way mission could end in bailout, injury, or drowning. Pilot J. B. Kendall died after bailing out, while another pilot nearly drowned before recovery. Destroyers and sloops including HMS Volunteer, HMS Stork, HMS Leith, and HMS Enchantress recovered airmen after their fighters were lost. Enchantress had originally been named Bittern, became an admiral's yacht under her new name, and returned to service as a full war sloop. One pilot instead reached a Soviet aerodrome after combat. Even a successful interception left the convoy responsible for recovering a pilot from the sea.
Notable Point · 20:36-23:29
CAM-ship combat launches and pilot recovery
A sequence of recorded CAM-ship launches shows both their success against German reconnaissance aircraft and the dependence of their pilots on nearby escorts for rescue.