Captain ‘Spiv’ Leahy
Brilliant naval airman who won a DFC after several brushes with death during the conflict in Korea
CAPTAIN “SPIV” LEAHY, who has died aged 94, was one of the outstanding aviators of his age. In 1952-53, during the conflict in Korea, Leahy was air weapons officer of 801 Naval Air Squadron flying the Hawker Sea Fury. On September 10 1952, while testing the carrier Glory’s rocket-assisted take-off gear, the gear failed and Leahy’s plane toppled over the bows, sinking quickly.
Leahy was trapped in his cockpit just long enough to miss the ship’s propellers and struggled with his straps until he heard the carrier pass over him before bobbing to the surface in Glory’s wake, choking because his oxygen mask tube was under water. He was picked up by a destroyer and returned by jackstay – grinning, unhurt, and subsequently fortified by a tot of rum.
801 Squadron flew an average of 61 sorties per day from Glory off Korea. On December 18 1952, after a premature explosion in his wing-mounted 20mm cannons, which left a gaping hole in his port wing, Leahy nursed his damaged plane to an emergency airstrip on the Allied-held island of Paengyong-do. The next day he was flying again.
Two months later Leahy was leading a flight of four Sea Furies returning from a mission over Hanchon, when he was jumped by a section of MIG-15 jets. The Migs came in from very high and astern but after some aggressive manoeuvring, no damage was done. Leahy was awarded the DSC for courage, leadership and determination.
Alan John Leahy was born in Glasgow on May 17 1925. His father was a Dubliner, his mother from Colonsay. He was educated at Glasgow High and volunteered for the Fleet Air Arm in 1943.
He learnt to fly with the US Navy at Grosse Isle, Michigan, and Pensacola, Florida; his instructors were so amazed by his skills that they used to draw lots to fly with him. But after VJ Day there was a glut of young, redundant pilots: Leahy fought to stay in the Navy and was appointed to a ferry squadron, giving him the opportunity to fly many different types of aircraft over the next two years.
In May 1947 he joined a Sea Hornet squadron at Ford, Sussex, commanded by Dickie Law who, looking at Leahy’s wide lapels and colourful ties brought back from the US, remarked: “You look like a spiv.” The name stuck.
Leahy mastered the twinengined de Havilland Sea Hornet. Once, when his port undercarriage failed to lower, he performed a one-wheel landing so faultlessly that the aircraft was soon repaired and flying again.
In 1949 at St Merryn, Cornwall, Leahy qualified as an air weapons officer. From 1950 to 1952 he taught at the Naval Fighter School, Culdrose.
In early 1952 he had a break from flying when he trained the Fleet Air Arm field gun crew. Next, Leahy joined the newly formed 800 Sea Hawk squadron as senior pilot, under the future Admiral Ray Lygo, in the carrier Ark Royal, displaying superb airmanship when, after his single-engined Sea Hawk jet suffered a flame-out during a low-level inverted run over Culdrose, he coolly made an engine-off landing.
Leahy then commanded 738 Squadron, the Sea Hawk training squadron, where his skills as a formation leader and display pilot were apparent. On a blustery day in 1956, at the presentation of the Queen’s Colour at Lee-onsolent, Leahy was leading 80 jets five miles away on the final run-in when he was told to delay by seven minutes. Allowing for the strong wind, he determined a smooth 360º turn and arrived on schedule with his formation intact.
In 1957 Leahy formed an aerobatic team for the Farnborough Airshow. He had five Sea Hawks painted red with “Royal Navy” in large, white letters under the wings, while his engineers modified the aircraft to produce coloured smoke, and entertained the crowds to stunning displays.
He was appointed MBE for his outstanding leadership and organisation.
In 1961, as commanding officer of 700Z squadron Leahy introduced the lowlevel Buccaneer bomber into service, and went on to serve as Commander (Air) in the carrier Hermes (1963-64).
His captain, the future Admiral Sir Bill O’brien, described him later as “a short, square, flat-faced, pug-nosed Scot… immensely popular within the Fleet Air Arm and admired by his peers for his skills as an aviator”.
As Director of Naval Air Warfare (1973-75), he campaigned for the Navy to acquire Sea Harrier jets and Lynx helicopters. In 1975 he was Commodore, Clyde, where his common sense and humour were invaluable in managing labour disputes. He was appointed CBE on his retirement in 1978.
Leahy flew more than 35 types of aircraft with a total flying time of 4,545 hrs, including 444 catapult launches and 670 deck landings. After the Navy, Leahy was a director of Bristow Helicopters and managing director of Helicopter Rentals, Bermuda. He wrote two books: From the Cockpit – Sea Hornet and From the Cockpit – Sea Fury.
In 1959 Leahy married Lena Svensson, who survives him with their daughter and son.
Captain A J Leahy, born May 17 1925, died December 26 2019