Derek - Brevet Club Member since 1998
DEREK - Brevet Club Member since 1998
The following about this handsome young man is copied from the website of the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum, Devonport, Auckland, and some comments added after a chat to Derek.
Lieutenant Derek Morten joined the Royal New Zealand Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1942 as a Naval Airman 2nd Class. He spent a short time at the training establishment HMNZS TAMAKI on Motuihe Island before proceeding to Britain -via Halifax, Canada- onboard the merchant ship CAPETOWN CASTLE for airman training. After eight months at the training establishment HMS ST VINCENT he volunteered for training in the United States. Morten sailed to Boston onboard the troopship QUEEN MARY then to the flying school at Grosse Ile, an American Naval Flying School just outside Detroit. Further training followed at a flying school in Pensacola from May to September 1943, after which he qualified as a pilot, joining a British training squadron, 732. By March 1943 Morten was a member of 1841 squadron, flying Corsair fighter aircraft. He returned to Britain onboard the aircraft carrier HMS SMITER arriving in June 1944. His squadron joined the fleet aircraft carrier HMS FORMIDABLE for operations against the TIRPITZ which was moored in a Norwegian fjord. Morten was involved with four attacks on this ship on 17th July 1944, and 22nd, 24th, and 29th of August, the mission on 22nd being aborted due to bad weather, and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his efforts.
HMS FORMIDABLE then joined the British Pacific Fleet for operations over the Japanese mainland. On one occasion the carrier took a direct Kamikaze hit to the flight deck which burrowed it’s way almost to the keel, causing considerable damage. Derek and others were diverted to another carrier in the vicinity. With some frantic engineering work including using fast setting concrete to bog up the hole and large dent in the flight deck they were operational again within 4 or 5 hours and Derek and others flew back to their ship. Following flak damage at 12,000 feet over Mainland Japan Derek managed to get himself out to sea for a successful ditching. He spent some hours in a rubber dinghy before being picked up by an American submarine and was consequently Mentioned in Despatches. By this stage World War II was drawing to a close; HMS FORMIDABLE, which at that time had sustained some damage, was sent to Sydney, Australia for repairs and Morten himself was flown back to New Zealand for leave.
Derek Morten was discharged on the 31st December 1945 having attained the rank of Lieutenant.
In a recent conversation with Derek he observed that he was surprised (!!!) when the American submarine USS PETO surfaced alongside him and his dinghy. He spent 10 days on the submarine and the crew made him very welcome. They put him to good use with some signal work, and in quiet times ask him to join them in a poker game. Derek said he had no idea how to play poker, US Navy style, and of course had no money with him as well. The crew showed him how to play their way and said they would cover his debt. When they reached port Derek received a cash payment for his winnings, which was a surprise. When he got back to New Zealand there was a letter waiting for him with an explanation that the sub crew reworked their calculations and there was a further cash settlement from his poker games! Their arrival in port coincided with the end of the war and as US Navy vessels were “dry” the captain broke out the medicinal spirits for a small tot all round. There was just enough left for one extra tot and the crew insisted that it should go to their KIWI survivor.
On one memorable occasion Derek’s wingman’s aircraft suffered severe damage, and he also reported total loss of oil pressure. They reached the carrier safely and after landing the engineers noted a large chunk of timber embedded between the lower front engine cylinders, they noted all of the external damage, the loss of oil pressure and they simply pushed it over the side – problem solved! As Derek said, great aircraft, got his mate home safely.
Derek noted that he never flew a British aircraft operationally, and he really enjoyed his time on the clipped wing Corsair and aircraft carriers.