Bidspirit auction | Sinking the Bismarck Signed J

Sinking the Bismarck Signed J A Grindle HMS Rodney and P D Gick Swordfish Pilot Both in action. Rare. official Navy cover. Rear Admiral Philip ‘Percy’ Gick flew Swordfish aircraft in the Second World War and also created Emsworth Yacht Harbour. He served in a total of eight aircraft carriers and was awarded the DSC and Bar and twice mentioned in dispatches. Gick flew Fairey Swordfish biplanes with 825 squadron from 1941. Swordfish wings could be folded for easier storage on aircraft carriers. Less than a month after joining the Squadron, flying his Swordfish from the aircraft carrier Victorious, he was involved in the hunt for the German battleship Bismarck that was a serious threat to the British Royal Navy and war supply ships. At 16:00 on 25 May 1941 the Victorious (seen above with Swordfish aircraft on its deck), together with four light cruisers plotted a course to launch her nine Swordfish torpedo bombers at Bismarck. At 22:00, Victorious launched the strike. Gick scored a direct torpedo hit on the Bismarck in the attack, the only pilot out of the nine to be successful, despite flying to find the German battleship completely in the dark! Even though the Bismarck didn’t sink, she was severely damaged, and was sunk two days later, following a successful air strike from the aircraft carrier Ark Royal. Gick subsequently received the DSC for his part in the action. Following promotion to acting Lieutenant Commander, he then joined the escort carrier Vindex as Lieutenant Commander (Flying) in 1944. After work on the Atlantic convoy routes as an escort ship, his Swordfish aircraft squadron took part in the sinking of no fewer than five U-boats, for which he was again mentioned in dispatches. After a short spell in command of a training squadron, in 1952 he captained the destroyer HMS Daring. Although aged only 40, he was known by the crew as ‘Old Percy’ after a nickname given to him by a Royal Navy Admiral as a joke. Gick then joined the carrier Venerable, part of the British Pacific Fleet, in command of the ship’s air group. In January 1957 he took command of the aircraft carrier Bulwark for her final commission as a fixed-wing carrier before her conversion to helicopter carrier. Bulwark took part in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic and the Caribbean Good Condition. All autographs come with a Certificate of Authenticity. We combine postage on multiple winning lots and can ship worldwide. UK postage from £5.99, EU from £7.99, Rest of World from £9.99