Catalina Flying Boat Breaks Down On Loch Ness

[isla]

From last weekend:

A flying boat has been towed to safety by a lifeboat after developing engine problems.
The Catalina had been attempting to take off from Loch Ness when it experienced technical issues.

An RNLI lifeboat was called out at about 17:50 on Saturday and took the aircraft to moor in Urquhart Bay.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...lands-54590948

[isla]

Update:

[isla]

Craning out:

[isla]

Another update:

[isla]

Flying over Loch Ness during a visit back in 2013

[birlinn]

They were stationed at Oban in WW 2.
I believe there are the remains of one or two still on the sea bed in the harbour area.

[Paul Pless]

fantastic aircraft

[Andrew Craig-Bennett]

My friend Mac who besides owning the lovely Harrison Butler “Rose of Arden”, was one of her pilots once explained why they absolutely hated water landings. Corrosion. They are wartime aircraft, never intended to last eighty years. They are going to hate them even more now .

[isla]

I see from the last video update that one of the plexiglass 'bubbles' on the fuselage (I'm sure there is a proper word for it) was broken during craning out. I imagine that will be quite difficult to replace. Hopefully they will not replace it, then have it broken again when they crane back into the water.

[C. Ross]

fantastic aircraft

To my eye, one of the most beautiful aircraft ever.

[Paul Pless]

imagine how it looked to a downed flyer, swimming. . .

[Reynard38]

There was one at the FLL airport for years. Privately owned. 100 knot yacht.

[Old Dryfoot]

This one lives at YYJ.

[Jim Bow]

tel:6304520[/URL]"]6304520[/URL]]imagine how it looked to a downed flyer, swimming. . .

Amen.

Imagine the survivors of the Indianapolis seeing that PBY landing and taxiing toward them. The aviators turned it into a life raft. 56 victims climbed inside and up onto the wing. They spent the night fighting waves till boats arrived.

On Aug 2, A land-based patrol plane spotted the heads of survivors bobbing on the water but was unable to identify them. Pilot Adrian Marks and his flight crew were dispatched to the scene to investigate in his amphibious PBY-5A Catalinapatrol plane. He spotted the survivors and dropped life rafts. One life raft was destroyed by the drop while others were too far away from the exhausted crew. Against standing orders not to land in open ocean, Marks took a vote of his crew and decided to land the aircraft in twelve-foot swells. He was able to maneuver his craft to pick up survivors. Space in the craft was limited so Marks had survivors lashed to the wing with parachute cord. It damaged the wings, rendering the aircraft unflyable.
Marks rescued 56 men.^[3] After nightfall, the destroyer escort USS Cecil J. Doyle (DE 368), the first of seven rescue ships, used its search light as a beacon and instilled hope in those still in the water. The Doyle and others picked up the remaining survivors and after everyone was off Marks' PBY, the Doyle sank her.
Marks was awarded the Air Medal for his actions, and it was pinned on him by Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, CINCPAC.

[isla]

Repaired and flown home to Duxford..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...lands-55161000

[AnalogKid]

70 years ago they were flying out of Hobsonville, an airfield and slipway just over the harbour from home. The hangar in the second photo is now the site of a farmers market (called Catalina Bay Farmers Market), the whole air base is now a new housing development. Next to Catalina Bay is Bomb Bay. If I've got the placing right for the third picture, I'd have seen it out of the bedroom window.

[David W Pratt]

Ironically, the Port Captain who did not list Indianapolis as overdue had been the Captain of Squalus when she sank during sea trials. The Commander of the sub station at Portsmouth did notice she was overdue, when she did not report back as scheduled. He ordered a search which shortly found her. Rescue efforts were started immediately.

[Stiletto]

70 years ago they were flying out of Hobsonville, an airfield and slipway just over the harbour from home. The hangar in the second photo is now the site of a farmers market (called Catalina Bay Farmers Market), the whole air base is now a new housing development. Next to Catalina Bay is Bomb Bay. If I've got the placing right for the third picture, I'd have seen it out of the bedroom window.

When I was a kid at school I was in the Air Training Corps and stayed at Hobsonville a few times. By then the RNZAF were flying Sunderlands. It is a nice part of Auckland.

[Dave Hadfield]

No big deal. Just an engine change in the rain, standing on planks.

Par, in Canada.

[RFNK]

Amen.

Imagine the survivors of the Indianapolis seeing that PBY landing and taxiing toward them. The aviators turned it into a life raft. 56 victims climbed inside and up onto the wing. They spent the night fighting waves till boats arrived.

On Aug 2, A land-based patrol plane spotted the heads of survivors bobbing on the water but was unable to identify them. Pilot Adrian Marks and his flight crew were dispatched to the scene to investigate in his amphibious PBY-5A Catalinapatrol plane. He spotted the survivors and dropped life rafts. One life raft was destroyed by the drop while others were too far away from the exhausted crew. Against standing orders not to land in open ocean, Marks took a vote of his crew and decided to land the aircraft in twelve-foot swells. He was able to maneuver his craft to pick up survivors. Space in the craft was limited so Marks had survivors lashed to the wing with parachute cord. It damaged the wings, rendering the aircraft unflyable.
Marks rescued 56 men.^[3] After nightfall, the destroyer escort USS Cecil J. Doyle (DE 368), the first of seven rescue ships, used its search light as a beacon and instilled hope in those still in the water. The Doyle and others picked up the remaining survivors and after everyone was off Marks' PBY, the Doyle sank her.
Marks was awarded the Air Medal for his actions, and it was pinned on him by Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, CINCPAC.

Human spirit. Thanks for that great story.