Lockheed Hudson 13 Sqn RAAF in flight 1941

A RAAF Lockheed Hudson Mk.I aircraft (s/n A16-66) in flight with Raymond Garrett as the pilot. Note the absence of a gun turret on this aircraft. On 28 and 29 November 1941, A16-66 had been involved with three other Hudsons from No. 13 Squadron RAAF in the fruitless search for survivors of the sinking of the HMAS Sydney. Each Hudson flew from dawn until dusk in parallel searches operating from Broome, Port Hedland and Carnarvon in Western Australia, but found nothing. 13 Squadron moved from Darwin to Ambon on 7 December 1941 to provide air support to the Dutch forces stationed there. Later, on 26 January 1942, A16-66 and two other Hudsons (A16-125 and -71) were destroyed on the ground when four Japanese A6M2 Zeros from the 3rd Kokatai that strafed Halong naval base on Ambon Island.