協助擊沉俾斯麥號的二戰英軍飛行員去世
THE BRITISH war hero who won fame as “the man who sank the Bismarck” has died aged 97.
被譽爲“擊沉俾斯麥的男人”的不列顛戰爭英雄於97歲去世。
Royal Navy pilot Lieutenant Commander John “Jock” Moffat launched the torpedo that crippled the pride of Hitler’s fleet during the Second World War.
皇家海軍飛行員少校John “Jock” Moffat在二戰中發射的魚雷打殘了這艘希特勒艦隊的驕傲。
The air strike, carried out by biplanes from HMS Victorious and Ark Royal on 26 May 1941, was said to have been Britain’s last hope of stopping the German battleship before it retreated to the safety of waters off the coast of France.
這次空中打擊是在1941年5月26日由勝利號和皇家方舟號航母上起飛的雙翼機（劍魚）進行的，據說這是俾斯麥撤到法國沿岸安全水域前不列顛阻止這艘德國戰艦的最後機會。
Winston Churchill had warned the Bismarck must be destroyed at all costs after it sunk the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Hood.
在擊沉了皇家海軍旗艦胡德號後溫斯頓丘吉爾嚴令無論付出任何代價也要擊沉俾斯麥。
In a last throw of the dice, Mr Moffat’s flimsy Swordfish bi-plane survived a torrent of bullets and shrapnel to deliver its deadly payload in the stormy Atlantic.
在波濤洶涌的大西洋上，Moffat先生脆弱的劍魚雙翼機冒着槍林彈雨倖存下來並投下了致命的武器。
Mr Moffat, who was aged just 21, skimmed the surface of the waves as he flew in at just 50ft to get the best possible angle of attack on the ship.
當時僅21歲的Moffat先生在僅50英尺（約15.24米）的高度掠海飛行以取得攻擊這艘船的最好角度。
His torpedo crippled the Bismarck, destroying its rudder.
他用魚雷毀掉了俾斯麥的船舵從而打殘了它。
The battleship was forced to steam in circles until the guns of the Royal Navy’s home fleet arrived the next morning to finish her off.
這艘戰艦隻能被迫原地打轉直到被翌日早晨趕來的皇家海軍本土艦隊的炮火終結。
Mr Moffat once said of the mission: “When Churchill gave the order to sink the Bismarck, we knew we just had to stop her trail of devastation at all costs.
Moffat先生曾如此描述這次任務：“當丘吉爾下令擊沉俾斯麥時我們就知道要不惜一切去終止它的毀滅之路了。”
“The great thing about the Swordfish was that the bullets just went straight through. "After all, it was only made of canvas. It was like David and Goliath.”
“劍魚機的最偉大之處在於子彈只是直接穿過它，畢竟它是用帆布造的。就像是大衛和歌利亞。”
His bravery during the hunt for the warship – named after Germany’s founding father Otto von Bismarck – has gone down in British military history.
在獵殺這艘以德國國父奧托·馮·俾斯麥命名的戰艦過程中他所表現出的勇氣已被載入不列顛軍事史。
Mr Moffat’s role in the attack was later immortalised in classic war film Sink the Bismarck!
Moffat先生在攻擊中的作用在之後的戰爭電影《擊沉俾斯麥號！》中達到不朽。
Born in the Scottish town of Kelso in June 1919, Mr Moffat joined the Navy as a reservist in 1938 aged 19.
1919年6月Moffat先生生於Kelso的蘇格蘭小鎮，在1938年19歲的他作爲預備役軍人加入海軍。
He was posted to Ark Royal with 759 Naval Air Squadron after qualifying as a pilot.
在得到飛行員資格後他被派到皇家方舟號的759海航中隊。
Mr Moffat served with four squadrons in a fleet air arm career spanning eight years.
Moffat先生在跨越8年的海航生涯中曾服役過4箇中隊。
After the war he trained as a hotel manager. He took to the air again in his 60’s and carried on flying beyond his 90th birthday.
戰後他成了酒店經理。60歲時他再次升空，並駕機度過90歲生日。
In recent years he campaigned for the No side in the Scottish independence referendum, appearing alongside Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson in 2014 to make the defence case for the Union.
近年來，他在蘇格蘭公投時沒有支持任何一方，在2014年與蘇格蘭保守黨領袖Ruth Davidson一同出席爲聯合王國發聲。
Announcing Mr Moffat’s death, the Royal Navy said it had lost “one of its greatest heroes”.
皇家海軍宣佈了他的死訊並說它失去了“一位最偉大的英雄。”
