Outside the harbour, the pilot tested the controls and found the engine healthy but the aircraft unable to fly straight without constant rudder and bank. The observer had not realized how close they had come to crashing or how badly the controls were damaged. Once briefed, he recovered his scattered navigation equipment and supplied a rough course toward the fleet. The exchange shows aircrew damage control as a shared task: one officer kept the machine flying while the other rebuilt the route home.
Notable Point · 2:59:12-3:01:53
Keeping a crippled Swordfish in the air
The crew stabilized a badly damaged Swordfish and chose the long night flight home over ditching or capture.