No. 3 Aircraft Depot RAAF
| No. 3 Aircraft Depot RAAF | |
|---|---|
 Group Captain G.E. Douglas (front row, centre) with officers and a B-24 Liberator of No. 3 Aircraft Depot, July 1945 | |
| Active | 1942–92 |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Branch | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Role | Aircraft maintenance |
| Garrison/HQ | RAAF Base Amberley |
| Motto(s) | Excel[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | James Rowland(1966–69) |
No. 3 Aircraft Depot(No. 3 AD) was a maintenance unit of theRoyal Australian Air Force(RAAF). Formed in March 1942 atRAAF Station Amberley,Queensland, its prime function initially was the assembly and despatch of combat aircraft from the United States; it also performed salvage operations. From 1942 until 1947 it took on the role of administering the Amberley base. The depot was responsible for heavy maintenance of the RAAF'sEnglish Electric Canberrajet bombers following their entry into service in 1953. In the 1970s it began maintaining and upgrading theGeneral Dynamics F-111Cswing-wing bomber, along withBell UH-1 IroquoisandBoeing CH-47 Chinookhelicopters. No. 3 AD merged withNo. 482 Maintenance Squadronin March 1992 to form No. 501 Wing, which maintained the F-111 until disbanding in 2001.
History
[edit]World War II
[edit]
No. 3 Aircraft Depot (No. 3 AD) was formed atRAAF Station Amberley,Queensland, on 16 March 1942.[1]It came under the control ofNo. 5 (Maintenance) Group.[2]The depot's first, temporary, commanding officer wasSquadron LeaderW.H. Nicholson. On establishment, No. 3 AD's main purpose was the assembly and despatch of combat aircraft manufactured in the United States. In its first six weeks of operation, it assembled 123Bell P-39 Airacobrafighters and a dozenMartin B-26 Maraudermedium bombers. The depot was also responsible for the inspection of RAAFCAC WirrawaysandLockheed Hudsons.A further role was salvaging damaged aircraft from units in the local area, and despatching them toNo. 5 Aircraft DepotatRAAF Station Wagga,New South Wales, for repair.[1]
Wing Commander(laterGroup Captain) G.E. Douglas, previously in charge ofNo. 1 Aircraft DepotatLaverton,Victoria, assumed command of No. 3 AD in June 1942.[3]Station Headquarters Amberley was dissolved on 1 July, and the depot took over the role of command and control of the base.[4]As the war progressed, Amberley became one of Australia's largest aircraft maintenance facilities, as well as a way station forUnited States Army Air Forcespersonnel and equipment bound for operations in theSouth West Pacific.[5]In addition to Airacobras and Marauders, among the aircraft types No. 3 AD assembled during World War II wereCurtiss P-40 Kittyhawks,Republic P-43 Lancers,Vultee A-31 Vengeances,Supermarine Spitfires,Grumman F6F Hellcats,andNorth American P-51 Mustangs.[4]
Post-war years
[edit]No. 82 (Heavy Bomber) Wingand its three squadrons ofConsolidated B-24 Liberatorsarrived at Amberley as lodger units between February and April 1946.[6]In the aftermath of World War II, No. 3 AD continued to command and administer the base until the re-establishment of Station Headquarters Amberley in 1947.[4]No. 82 Wing converted toAvro Lincolnsduring 1948.[7]In October 1952, when Lincolns flew observation flights as part ofOperation Hurricane,the first British atomic test in Australia, No. 3 AD was responsible for handling underwing canisters used to collect radioactive particles.[8]The RAAF's first jet bomber, theEnglish Electric Canberra,began replacing the Lincoln in December 1953.[9][10]No. 3 AD was responsible for "deep" maintenance of the Canberra, which involved stripping aircraft back to their components. This process was generally required every five years, and could take up to a year to complete. The depot also performed deep maintenance on theCAC Sabrefighter during its service with the RAAF.[11]No. 3 AD's crest was approved byQueen Elizabeth IIin June 1959; the design featured aMaltese crossinazure,symbolising the unit's home state of Queensland, surmounted by a cock's head in gold with a red comb.[12]From December 1966 until January 1969, No. 3 AD was commanded by Group CaptainJames Rowland,laterChief of the Air StaffandGovernor of New South Wales.[1][13]By the 1970s, the depot was responsible for maintenance of the RAAF'sBell UH-1 Iroquoishelicopters as well as the Canberra bombers.[1]It also maintained theMcDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantomsleased to the RAAF from 1970 to 1973 as aninterim strike forcepending delivery of the long-delayedGeneral Dynamics F-111C.[14][15]
The F-111C represented the most significant maintenance challenge undertaken by the RAAF, and No. 3 AD's hangars and workshops were extensively revamped before and after the new bomber's entry into service in mid-1973.[16][17]The depot was responsible for major upgrades and complex maintenance involving stripping down the airframe and engines, while intermediate-level servicing was carried out byNo. 482 (Maintenance) Squadron,a unit of No. 82 Wing.[18][19]AfterGeneral DynamicsinFort Worth,Texas, had modified the first of four F-111Cs earmarked to be brought up to RF-111C standard for photographic reconnaissance, No. 3 AD modified the remaining three aircraft at Amberley during 1980.[20]In 1982–83, the depot upgraded to C-model standard fourF-111Asdelivered to replace the four F-111Cs from the RAAF's original order that had been lost through accidents.[21]It conducted the F-111Pave Tackinfra-red and laser-guided precision weapons targeting system upgrade in 1985.[22]No. 3 AD also took on responsibility for maintenance ofBoeing CH-47 Chinooksafter the helicoptersentered servicewithNo. 12 Squadron,based at Amberley, in September 1973.[1][23]The depot had no familiarity dealing with significant damage to the Chinook, and when one of the helicopters crashed following an engine failure in 1975 the repairs were not completed until 1981.[23]
From the 1980s, No. 3 AD's organisation included a maintenance management squadron made up of individualflightsresponsible for the upkeep of equipment, engines, and airframes, the last-mentioned including armament and de-seal/re-seal.[1]The process for de-sealing and re-sealing the F-111s fuel tanks, which the depot first undertook between 1977 and 1982 and which lasted six months per aircraft, caused controversy owing to the hazardous working conditions for ground crews. Brain damage to personnel caused by chemical exposure resulted in aclass actionthat cost the Australian government more thanA$20 million in damages.[24][25]On 16 March 1992, No. 3 AD merged with No. 482 Squadron to form No. 501 Wing, which became the largest unit in the RAAF, comprising over 1,200 personnel.[4][26]The depot completed its disbandment on 30 June that year.[1]No. 501 Wing continued to provide deep maintenance and logistics support for the F-111s at Amberley until 2001, whenBoeing Australiawas awarded the maintenance contract.[27][28]
Notes
[edit]- ^abcdefghRAAF Historical Section,Maintenance Units,pp. 10–12
- ^Ashworth,How Not to Run an Air Force!,p. 175
- ^"Douglas, Gilbert Eric (1902–1970)".Australian Dictionary of Biography.Retrieved22 July2012.
- ^abcdRAAF Historical Section,Introduction, Bases, Supporting Organisations,pp. 119–123
- ^Air Power Development Centre (September 2008)."Superbase #1: RAAF Amberley Past to Future"(PDF).Pathfinder(97).Royal Australian Air Force.
- ^"No. 82 Wing".Royal Australian Air Force.Retrieved20 July2012.
- ^Wilson,Lincoln, Canberra and F-111,p. 48
- ^Wilson,Lincoln, Canberra and F-111,pp. 55–56
- ^"Canberra".RAAF Museum.Retrieved20 July2012.
- ^Wilson,Lincoln, Canberra and F-111,p. 104
- ^Stephens,Going Solo,p. 176
- ^"Crests tell history".RAAF News.Vol. 4, no. 11. December 1962. p. 5.
- ^"Air Marshals".Royal Australian Air Force. Archived fromthe originalon 1 June 2011.Retrieved28 May2011.
- ^Stephens,Going Solo,pp. 386–388
- ^Lax,From Controversy to Cutting Edge,p. 115
- ^Stephens,Going Solo,pp. 177–178
- ^Lax,From Controversy to Cutting Edge,pp. 41, 111–112
- ^Wilson,Lincoln, Canberra and F-111,p. 160
- ^RAAF Historical Section,Maintenance Units,pp. 66–69
- ^Air Power Development Centre (February 2010)."Manned ISR: The RF-111C"(PDF).Pathfinder(128). Royal Australian Air Force.
- ^Lax,From Controversy to Cutting Edge,pp. 162
- ^Lax,From Controversy to Cutting Edge,pp. 164–167
- ^ab"Boeing-Vertol CH-47 Chinook".RAAF Museum.Retrieved20 July2012.
- ^Lax,From Controversy to Cutting Edge,pp. 206–208
- ^"F-111 action stalls without getting off the ground".Safety Culture.11 April 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 11 September 2012.Retrieved20 July2012.
- ^Lax,From Controversy to Cutting Edge,p. 196
- ^Odgers,Air Force Australia,pp. 192, 218
- ^Lax,From Controversy to Cutting Edge,pp. 222–223
References
[edit]- Ashworth, Norman (2000).How Not to Run an Air Force! The Higher Command of the Royal Australian Air Force During the Second World War: Volume 2.Canberra: Air Power Studies Centre.ISBN0-642-26550-X.
- Lax, Mark (2010).From Controversy to Cutting Edge: A History of the F-111 in Australian Service.Canberra: Air Power Development Centre.ISBN978-1-920800-54-3.
- Odgers, George(1996) [1984].Air Force Australia.Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: National.ISBN1-86436-081-X.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995).Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 1: Introduction, Bases, Supporting Organisations.Canberra:Australian Government Publishing Service.ISBN0-644-42792-2.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995).Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 7: Maintenance Units.Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.ISBN0-644-42798-1.
- Stephens, Alan (1995).Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946–1971.Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.ISBN0-644-42803-1.
- Wilson, Stewart (1989).Lincoln, Canberra and F-111 in Australian Service.Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace Publications.ISBN0-9587978-3-8.