A short but worthwhile commission awaited the latest addition to the Belgian Navy’s fleet, the aircraft carrier “Zandschloss”. Equipped with a single Grumman Wildcat, it performed valiantly in an attempt to hold back the tide, but as pilot Jan Odeyn said later: “King Canute was right after all – the sea just doesn’t listen to a sensible argument!” The impressive deck was hewn from the sand at low tide, and the electric Wildcat then flew perfectly (it had to – for the first and maybe only time in C/L carrier flying a ditching really would have got the plane full of sea-water!) As the tide came in, the good ship Zandschloss gently disappeared benrath the waves, so, like many a ship-less Navy pilot before, Jan ferried the Grumman back to shore for a final landing. Well done Jan!
