FLYING BOATS SUNDERLAND WARTIME SOUTH COAST
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
- My story began with a photograph taken over Salcombe in South Devon, written on the photograph was 'Sunderland called Salcombe 1946' well I was put straight on this quite quickly it was in fact a Short Solent built 1945 for civilian use and they named this on 'Salcombe' it flew with BOAC before moving out to Australia.
My research then uncovered more interesting bits of history about the Sunderlands wartime service and their post war flying as passenger aircraft, the film concludes with a Sunderland departing Calshot in 1993 and flying to live with Kermit Weeks in Florida.
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Another great vlog ( i've only just discovered thats what these films are called ). As a child i was lucky to witness some Sunderlands coming into RAF Seletar in singapore around 1965. Also my dad was stationed at Mountbatten during the Plymouth Blitz before being posted to Burma .
Thanks Rivet my next vlog is on the Plymouth blitz. Chris.
I once saw one in the 80’s that was moored on the River Medway at Rochester.
It did some taxiing runs, but was not airworthy. Always wondered what happened to it?
Short Brothers started aviation in the UK, at the turn of the last century, after their purchasing of three Wright Brothers ‘Flyers’ from the USA.
The kits were assembled at Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey. They moved to a new factory at Rochester, where eventually it was bombed during BoB in 1940.
Production of the Sunderland was then carried out piecemeal around the country and eventually Shorts ended up in Northern Ireland.
Arguably the lineage continues after being subsumed by Bombardier?
Thanks Beau.
I had a tour round the medway Sunderland by my old engineering instructor, Bob Woolet, he was a flight engineer on them during the war, and while visiting the college (around 1982) Bob asked if I would like to see it, I refused of course😊, the next day I spent going all over the aircraft, it was a wartime Sunderland converted to solent specification, some of the paneling had been removed in the toilet and stencilling relating to 303 magazine storage could be seen, upstairs in the front port side passenger cabin was a white burr walnut bar to get your drinkies from, air travel from another era, the name on the fuselage was Sir Arthur Gouge, I will have to find the photos I took for the tail number, it was all white with a single (or double, it was a while ago!), blue stripe and blue graphics, I heard it got damaged in a storm whilst moored on the Medway, unfortunately I don't know what happened to it after that as I live and work in Galloway SW Scotland.
Have always loved flying boats and the Sunderland is right there, (people talk about the Catalina but it's one problem was its not a Sunderland🤔😊).
Good.talk on a truly made flying boat, these were well known by service men during the war .
Thanks Nigel.
Thank you for this report. I was in my front garden in Portslade, Brighton in 1993 by chance when the Sunderland purchased by Kermit Weeks flew east on the coastline from Calshot. A magnificent sight and sound, never forgotten.
Thanks Tim appreciate your feedback.
When flying was an adventure! People dressed to fly!! What a glorious machine!!
Appreciate you feedback Ricardo, please consider subscribing. Chris.
Hi Chris. Don't know about a Short Solent , more like a short memory ! 😅😅😅 So why did you choose to sit in the not so beautiful part of Salcombe ! Thanks Chris . Just remembered , we stayed in Oban in the '80's and Prince Edward (?) was killed along with the crew when a Sunderland took off in poor weather and flew into a mountain . There was a strong rumour that it was deliberate . Cheers z!
Thanks John yes I must check out that story again one of the many conspiracy theories.
As a small child I in the early 50s remember going along the road past Belfast Harbour. near Sydenham airfield ( Now George Best Airport) I remember seeing numerous white aircraft floating in the harbour. I now know that they were Sunderlands being de militarised and prepared for civilian use . A very strong memory.
Thank you for your memories Cyril do consider a subscribe please. Chris.
I used to take the train from London to faversham during the war.
I remember passing over the Rochester? Bridge and seeing these flying boats moored on the water. Great excitement for a wartime kid.
Many thanks for your memories
There was a short sunderland float plane base in Durban as well. They would take off from the large harbour
Interesting many thanks. My next post maybe of interest. Chris.
www.fad.co.za/2021/05/23/the-flying-boats-of-durban/
That was excellent Chris. Made me realize that I have not been to the Fantasy of Flight Museum. Now I am retired, I have all the time in the world - but have no intention of going down to Florida with the way they are handling the pandemic. Could be a long wait, especially as only a small portion of their enormous collection is now on display at any one time - and right now, the Solent isn't one of them. Could kick myself for not going in years gone by, it is only a day or so drive for me, so no excuses. Grrrrrrrrr
Kermit Weeks has an excellent you tube channel with regular uploads. Chris.
First aircraft I ever flew on was a Sunderland Flying Boat on a local flight for school children, from the Ansett flying boat base at Rose Bay. This was in 1974 (I was 11) as they were about to be retired. Fantastic - set me up for a lifetime of aviation passion!
Thanks Andy interesting update.
Hi Chris,I well remember the Sunderlands based at RAF Mount Batten they were moored to buoys in the Cattewater .Sunderlands were used by the Raf on the Berlin Airlift landing on a lake near Berlin.AquillaAirways also used Flying boats including Sunderlands, Solents and Sandringhams on a service to Madeira and the Canary islands besides charter work .there is an interesting article in Wikipedia .Thanks for the Vlog anything on South Hams area interests me particularly the war period.
Cheers from New Brunswick Canada
Thanks Ralph I have around 160 films now around South Devon do have a subscribe. Chris.
What a super vid 👌
Thanks John Grazier appreciate your comments.
What an extraordinary machine - let’s hope Kermit Weeks can complete the restoration and keep it safe from tropical storms
Thanks Martin, Kermit Weeks has an excellent you tube channel and the Sunderland was featured over 3 films worth a look. ☺️
@@GULLPERCHFLYER will do - it will be good to see inside and have a full tour. My 1943 Aeroplane magazines envisaged lagoons for all major post war airports; the writers and illustrators never envisaged the disappearance of flying boats for international travel due to the adaptation of bombers to airliners
What an amazing airplane, Chris, and great to see it flying in your fascinating video 👌🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks Kevin always trying 🙂
I think it was Chris Denham who made a documentary for local TV about the Sunderlands at Mount Batten many years ago. My sister watched it with great interest as our father served on them until the Aussies arrived in the early stages of the war. She said she spotted him in one of the shots. I recall seeing them moored there & flying overhead when I was a child in the early '50s
Most interesting David I wonder where that film footage is stored. Chris.
@@GULLPERCHFLYER She tried making enquiries decades ago, hoping to be able to obtain a video copy, but sadly without success.
We had a caravan at Loch Ryan in Stranraer in the 70's our site was on the old Hanger base and I used to go crab fishing off the old slipway up the beach from it , during WW2 this place was home to Sunderlands , Walrus ..and it was a surrender point for German U Boats at Wars end ..an a few years later where they broke up the Ark Royal .
Most interesting burning many thanks. Chris.