US Navy fighter plane's friendly fire nearly downs TEAL flying boat
Maker and role
J. Chrisp, Artist
Production date
1997
Object detail
Accession number
06-448
Maker
Description
Artist's impression of an event on 24th January 1942 when a U.S. Navy fighter plane's friendly fire nearly downed a TEAL flying boat. A US Navy Douglas Dauntless fighter from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise mistook a TEAL Empire Class S23 flying boat (ZK-AMC Awarua) as a hostile Japanese aircraft. Awarua was returning to New Zealand after delivering Mr Walter Nash and a party of N.Z. government officials to Honolulu. It was not until the captain of the flying boat, Captain J. Burgess, held a N.Z. flag outside the cockpit window that the fighter realised his mistake and broke off the attack. Unfortunately he had already loosened off several rounds of machine gun fire which had damaged a wing of the flying boat, but not critically. She returned to Auckland safely later that day. The painting shows the Douglas Dauntless fighter firing from behind and above the ZK-AMC Awarua.
Marks
U.S. Navy fighter plane's "friendly fire" nearly downs T.E.A.L flying boat.
This could have been the headlines in the NZ Herald on the 24th January 1942! It is a little known fact that on this date a U.S. Navy Douglas Dauntless fighter from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise mistook a TEAL Empire Class S23 flying boat (ZK-AMC "Awarua") as a hostile Japanese aircraft! "Awarua" was returning to New Zealand after delivering Mr Walter Nash and party of N.Z. government officials to Honolulu. It was not until the captain of the flying boat, Captain J. Burgess, held a N.Z. flag outside the cockpit window that the fighter realised his mistake and broke off the attack. Unfortunately he had already loosened off several rounds of machine gun fire which had damaged a wing of the flying boat, but not critically. She returned to Auckland safely later that day. Typed
Hall of Frame, PO Box 35518, Browns Bay, Auckland 10, New Zealand. Phone (09) 478 6934 Maker's Plate
J A Chrisp '97 Hand-written
This could have been the headlines in the NZ Herald on the 24th January 1942! It is a little known fact that on this date a U.S. Navy Douglas Dauntless fighter from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise mistook a TEAL Empire Class S23 flying boat (ZK-AMC "Awarua") as a hostile Japanese aircraft! "Awarua" was returning to New Zealand after delivering Mr Walter Nash and party of N.Z. government officials to Honolulu. It was not until the captain of the flying boat, Captain J. Burgess, held a N.Z. flag outside the cockpit window that the fighter realised his mistake and broke off the attack. Unfortunately he had already loosened off several rounds of machine gun fire which had damaged a wing of the flying boat, but not critically. She returned to Auckland safely later that day. Typed
Hall of Frame, PO Box 35518, Browns Bay, Auckland 10, New Zealand. Phone (09) 478 6934 Maker's Plate
J A Chrisp '97 Hand-written
Physical description
1 painting (framed) : colour ; 53 x 65 cm.
Credit Line
J. Chrisp. 1997. US Navy fighter plane's friendly fire nearly downs TEAL flying boat, 06-448. Walsh Memorial Library, The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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