Aircraft History

XV863 - Buccaneer S.Mk.2B

Copyright © 2004 - 2006

'Sea Witch/Debbie/Tamnavoulin' - 'S' - 208 Sqn. Muharraq, Bahrain, Gulf War, 1991

Note: Smaller wingtips fitted to extend airframe flying hours by reducing wing-loading

'Configuration' for above illustration

Serial - XV863C/n - B3-12-67
First Flown	29/05/1968		Holme-on-Spalding Moor
	25/07/1968		Allocated to 'Electromagnetic Compatibility' and noise-level investigation
Date Delivered	19/08/1968		To Royal Navy - NASU Lossiemouth
	13/09/1968		On static display SBAC Show Farnborough
	23/09/1968		Returned to NASU Lossiemouth
	19/05/1969		To 'C' Sqn, A&AEE Boscombe Down -'Carrier Trials'
	17/06/1969		Issued to 809 NAS, RNAS Lossiemouth
	29/04/1970		Transferred to 736 NAS, RNAS Lossiemouth - coded '650/LM'
	25/05/1971		To NASU Lossiemouth
	17/11/1971		To RNAY Sydenham, Belfast for modification
	26/02/1973		To Hawker Siddeley, Holme-on-Spalding Moor
	01/03/1973		To Hawker Siddeley, Brough for upgrade to S.Mk.2D standard
	10/06/1973		Returned to Holme-on-Spalding Moor
	05/09/1973		To RNAY Sydenham, Belfast
	14/11/1973		Issued to 809 Sqn., (RN Unit) RAF Honington - coded '020/R'
	06/06/1974		Embarked HMS Ark Royal - coded '020/R' (Cruises: 3xHome & Mediterranean Sea + 1xAtlantic)
	09/06/1975		809 NAS, dis-embarked HMS Ark Royal - coded '020/R'
	26/07/1975		To (RN Unit) RAF Honington
	19/01/1976		Re-issued to 809 NAS, RAF Lossiemouth - coded '025/R'
	06/02/1976		Embarked HMS Ark Royal - coded '025/R' (Cruises: 1xAtlantic)
	14/07/1976		809 NAS, dis-embarked HMS Ark Royal - coded '025/R'
	31/08/1976		To (RN Unit) RAF Honington
	20/09/1976		To No.23 MU RAF Aldergrove
	13/10/1976		Returned to (RN Unit) RAF Honington
	18/03/1977		Re-issued to 809 NAS, RAF Lossiemouth - coded '036/R'
	05/09/1977		Embarked HMS Ark Royal - coded '036/R' (Cruises: 2xHome & Mediterranean Sea + 1xAtlantic)
	27/11/1978		Dis-embarked HMS Ark Royal
Date Delivered	27/11/1978		To Royal Air Force - to No.19 MU St. Athan
	1979		upgrade to S.Mk.2B standard
	17/01/1980		Issued to 16 Sqn., RAFG Laarbruch, West Germany
	Feb. 1980		Buccaneer fleet grounded for six months following crash of XV345 at Nellis AFB, Nevada, USA during Exercise 'Red Flag 80'
	1982		16 Sqn., RAFG Laarbruch, West Germany - coded 'U'
	Apr.1984		Transferred to 237 OCU, RAF Honington - coded '863'
	Oct. 1984		237 OCU relocated to RAF Lossiemouth
	07/11/1984		237 OCU, RAF Lossiemouth - coded 'CC'
	1985		Returned to BAe, new avionics to ASR1012 - Sea Eagle 'Anti-Ship' missile capability
	05/11/1985		Issued to 208 Sqn., RAF Lossiemouth - coded '863'
	29/10/1987		Transferred to 237 OCU RAF Lossiemouth - coded '863'
Date Received	29/07/1988		To BAe Woodford - ASR1012 (Set No.029) Avionics Upgrade Programme (AUP) - 48wks cycle
Date Delivered	26/03/1989		'AUP' completed - returned to 'Operational Status'
	27/03/1989		To 'Station Flight', RAF Lossiemouth
	Apr. 1989		Re-Issued to 237 OCU, RAF Lossiemouth - coded '863'
Date (exact) Between	(unknown) Aug.1989 Jan. 1991		Mod.1736 'Modified' - Smaller Wingtips — Fitted to extend airframe flying hours by reducing wing-loading. Result of fatigue testing of XN982 at HS Brough, to determine cause of the crash of XV345 while participating in 'Red Flag 80' on 07/02/1980 - (Fatigue testing commenced Jun. 1982 - solution implimented to specific airframes from Aug.1989-onwards)
	Jan. 1991		Prepared for Operation 'Granby' - painted Desert 'ARTF' (Alkali Removable Temporary Finish) - coded 'S'
	07/02/1991		Deployed to Gulf - Muharraq Air Base, Bahrain (batch of second six aircraft) XX863/ S XX885/ L XX894/ O XX895/ G XV352/ U XX901/ N 'Nose-Art' added during campaign: 'Sea Witch/Debbie/Tamnavoulin' By the end of campaign, six mission symbols displayed on starboard nose below cockpit canopy
	17/03/1991		Returned to RAF Lossiemouth form the Gulf
	Mar. 1991		Re-joined 237 OCU, RAF Lossiemouth
	-----		Withdrawn from service - Allocated 'Maintenance Airframe' number 9115M
	Mar. 1994		Gate Guardian, RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland in Gulf Markings "S" (9115M)
	-----		Allocated 'Maintenance Airframe' number 9139M
	-----		Allocated 'Maintenance Airframe' number 9145M
	09/11/2001		Placed in storage, RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland - (9145M) — Replaced as Gate Guardian by: Tornado GR1 - ZA475
	06/04/2007		Sold by Disposal Services Agency (DSA) for £5,300 to the Christie Keane Museum, Weston (8 miles west of Dublin)
	25/08/2007		Arrived: Christie Keane Museum — Transported by road and sea to Ireland via Liverpool Current position (date currency at 22/12/2007)

Gulf War History of XV863 - "S" Sea Witch/Debbie/Tamnavoulin
Date:		Additional Information:
07/02/1991	Transit from RAF Lossiemouth to Muharraq Air Base, Bahrain	Direct flight - (8 hrs 45 mins)
Date:	Target:	Additional Information:
08/02/1991	Al Busalih — Bridge
14/02/1991	Al Taqaddum Airfield — Fascilities
15/02/1991	Tallil Airfield — HAS* site	*Hardened Aircraft Shelter
16/02/1991	Amara New Airfield
17/02/1991	Kut Al Hayy East Airfield — Runway Intersection
18/02/1991	Jalibah South East Airfield — HAS sites	DNCO (Duty Not Carried Out) - weather
20/02/1991	Ar Rumaylah South West Airfield	DNCO - weather
21/02/1991	Qal'at Salih Airfield — Runway
22/02/1991	Ar Rumaylah South West Airfield
24/02/1991	Tallil Airfield	DNCO - black smoke
25/02/1991	Shayka Mazhar Airfield	DNCO - weather
25/02/1991	Al Taqaddum Airfield	DNCO - weather
26/02/1991	Al Taqaddum Airfield	DNCO - weather
27/02/1991	Shayka Mazhar Airfield	DNCO - weather
27/02/1991	Al Taqaddum Airfield — SA3 site & Ammunition store
Date:		Additional Information:
17/03/1991	Transit from Muharraq Air Base, Bahrain to RAF Lossiemouth	Direct flight - (8 hrs 30 mins)

Note: Gulf War records obtained from photocopy entries of both the crews' logbooks and actual Authorisation Sheets
- by courtesy of the 'Buccaneer Aircrew Association'

Source -			Fleet Air Arm Fixed-Wing Aircraft since 1946 (Ray Sturtivant) Wings of Fame - volume 14 (Aerospace Publishing Ltd) Buccaneer: The story of the last all-British strike aircraft (Tim Laming) Buccaneer: Modern Combat Aircraft 7 (Maurice Allward) Hawker Siddeley/Blackburn Buccaneer (Paul Jackson & Peter Foster) RAF Buccaneer (Peter R. Foster) (see Reference Library page for full details)
Additional Info. -			R. Kelley: Airframe C/n NJ. Roberson (Historian, Buccaneer Aircrew Association) for information on: ASR1012 'Avionics Upgrade Programme' + 'Modified'-Smaller 'Wingtip' Airframes + Survivor's current position British Aviation Review - Vol.36 No.4 'MODEL ALLIANCE' decals UK - No.MA-72100

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