1939 Imperial Airways flying boat ditching

Cavalier was a Short Empire flying boat with the registration G-ADUU that had been launched on 21 November 1936 and delivered to Imperial Airways.[2]

In 1937, Imperial Airways and Pan American World Airways had opened up a London-New York-Bermuda flying-boat passenger service. Imperial Airways used Cavalier on the route. Shipped by sea to Bermuda, she operated on the route for the first time on a survey flight[3] on 25 May 1937.[4]

On the day of the incident, Cavalier left Port Washington on Long Island, New York, at 10:38 bound for Bermuda.[1] At 12:23 p.m. the flying boat sent the message Running into bad weather. May have to earth, which referred to earthing the aerial;[5] this was followed by another message at 12:27 Still in bad weather. Severe Static.[1] Port Washington tried to call the Cavalier for the next 15 minutes but did not get a reply.[1] At 12:57 Cavalier broadcast an SOS message followed at 12:59 by All engines failing through ice. Altitude 1,500 ft [457 m]. Forced landing in a few minutes.[1] Another message eight minutes later said she was still flying but on two engines; four minutes after that came a series of messages to say that she had had to come down in the sea. The last message, at 13:13, was the single word Sinking.[1]

As soon as it was realised at Port Washington that Cavalier was going to land in the sea, Port Washington requested a Pan American World Airways Sikorsky S-42 flying boat from Hamilton, Bermuda, to go to her assistance.[1] The United States Coast Guard sent a flying boat from Long Island to Cavalier's last known position but it did not find her.[1] A United States Army Air Corps Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber made a sortie from Langley Field in Virginia to search for Cavalier but had to return before midnight without success.[1] Other aircraft also tried in vain to find the Cavalier.[1]

The US Coast Guard also despatched two cutters and two patrol boats to the scene; one was only 70 nautical miles (130 km) away but the other three had to come from Cape Cod, Massachusetts; New York; and Norfolk, Virginia.[1] The commercial tanker Esso Baytown was the first to arrive at the scene of the accident and reported at 23:25 that she had sighted wreckage and had lowered her lifeboats.[1] By listening for the sound of their cries – they were in fact singing – Esso Baytown rescued six passengers and four members of the crew who had clung together on the water for ten hours.[1] The United States Navy gunboat USS Erie (PG-50) transferred a doctor to Esso Baytown but because of the high seas and darkness had to discontinue the search for any other survivors.[1] The ten survivors were taken to New York, arriving on 23 January 1939; the other three people aboard were lost.

The British Air Ministry's Inspector of Accidents reported that the accident had been caused by icing in the carburettors of all four engines.[6] This caused a full loss of power in the inboard engines and partial loss in the outer; the commander of the Cavalier had reported icing problems prior to ditching.[6] The inspector recommended that extra heating of carburetters and of the incoming air be provided and that a temperature indicator be installed.[5] He also advised that passengers should be instructed in the fastening of lifebelts and the location of emergency exits[6] and recommended the provision of extra life-saving equipment like rafts and pyrotechnic signals and that passengers should fasten safety belts at take-off and alighting.[6]