In the background

[Mike Cecil]

Keffy,

Nice image: suggest the Mustang was towing targets for the Navy's West Head Gunnery Range at the entrance to Western Port. It would explain the Navy types as well as just proximity to the crash: they probably had a hand in it!

I spent several weeks there (West Head) on a job during the 1980s, and it was standard practice for crews to see if they could 'shred' the towed target to send the aircraft back to base. Once that happened, it was time off.

Nice pic all round, foreground and background

Mike C