Supermarine Stranraer for Shearwater Museum
Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:22 pm
I came across this article about a a Supermarine Stranraer forthe Shearwater Aviation Musuem. Does anyone have any additional information on its recovery?
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Commun/ml- ... sp?id=4959
A very rare bird of war has come home to roost in Nova Scotia.
Earlier this fall, John Webber and Duncan Mason, the engineering team at Shearwater Aviation Museum (SAM), travelled to Canada’s west coast to take possession of the wreckage of a former Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Supermarine Stranraer (a.k.a. the Stranny), donated to SAM by salvage business proprietor Bill Thompson, of Pender Harbour, B.C.
The aircraft, tail number 915, was in service with the RCAF until 1945, when it was sold to Queen Charlotte Airways. It crashed at Belize Inlet, 402 kilometres north of Vancouver, in 1949. The fuselage section that includes the cockpit has never been retrieved from the bottom of the inlet, but the main fuselage, wings and tail section were recovered. The team’s task was to move these pieces of wreckage, one load at a time, from Pender Harbour to the Comox Air Force Museum at 19 Wing Comox. There, the SAM engineers prepared the wreckage for transport by train to 12 Wing Shearwater, where it arrived in late November.
The Stranraer’s historical ties to Nova Scotia are strong and deep. Canadian Vickers, under licence from Supermarine, built 40 Strannies in Montréal. Initially, RCAF Station Dartmouth, now 12 Wing Shearwater, was their home. A Stranny sortie from Dartmouth September 10, 1939, was most likely the RCAF’s first wartime mission – Squadron Leader Len “Birch” Birchall took off in Stranraer 907 from Eastern Passage at dawn on the first day of the war. (He would later be dubbed“The Saviour of Ceylon” by Winston Churchill for his role in the sighting of the Japanese Fleet, resulting in the saving of modern day Sri Lanka from invasion.)
The Stranny was a twin-engine, biplane, generalreconnaissance flying boat that carried a crew of six. Its armament comprised three Lewis machine-guns in the bow, dorsal and tail turrets and a maximum bomb-load of 454 kilograms. Through service ranging from antisubmarine warfare to search and rescue, the aircraft earned a reputation for ruggedness and reliability.
The Stranraer will be the first RCAF aircraft in the museum’s collection, which consists of vintage Royal Canadian Navy aircraft. Documents and manuals will be collected and researched thoroughly before the reassembly begins. “If you look at the pictures of it, the Stranraer is made of a combination of aluminum, stainless steel, wood and fabric materials,” says SAM curator Christine Hines.“As a museum, we are in the business of restoration and preservation. To maintain the aircraft after it has been reassembled, we have to consider such details as where in the museum it will be displayed and environmental conditions such as the relative humidity and lighting.”
Restored, the Stranny will measure 16.6 metres in length and 6.6 m in height, with a wingspan of 30 m (and, if it could fly, a maximum take-off weight of 8 618 kilograms), so another issue will be available space on the display floor.
The historical value of this aircraft is immeasurable. Restored and sitting on SAM’s display floor, the Stranny will bring to life another chapter in the story of maritime aircraft that have flown from Shearwater. From the early days of the Second World War to present-day operations, the museum is keeping CF aviation history alive and vibrant, one piece at a time.
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Commun/ml- ... sp?id=4959
A very rare bird of war has come home to roost in Nova Scotia.
Earlier this fall, John Webber and Duncan Mason, the engineering team at Shearwater Aviation Museum (SAM), travelled to Canada’s west coast to take possession of the wreckage of a former Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Supermarine Stranraer (a.k.a. the Stranny), donated to SAM by salvage business proprietor Bill Thompson, of Pender Harbour, B.C.
The aircraft, tail number 915, was in service with the RCAF until 1945, when it was sold to Queen Charlotte Airways. It crashed at Belize Inlet, 402 kilometres north of Vancouver, in 1949. The fuselage section that includes the cockpit has never been retrieved from the bottom of the inlet, but the main fuselage, wings and tail section were recovered. The team’s task was to move these pieces of wreckage, one load at a time, from Pender Harbour to the Comox Air Force Museum at 19 Wing Comox. There, the SAM engineers prepared the wreckage for transport by train to 12 Wing Shearwater, where it arrived in late November.
The Stranraer’s historical ties to Nova Scotia are strong and deep. Canadian Vickers, under licence from Supermarine, built 40 Strannies in Montréal. Initially, RCAF Station Dartmouth, now 12 Wing Shearwater, was their home. A Stranny sortie from Dartmouth September 10, 1939, was most likely the RCAF’s first wartime mission – Squadron Leader Len “Birch” Birchall took off in Stranraer 907 from Eastern Passage at dawn on the first day of the war. (He would later be dubbed“The Saviour of Ceylon” by Winston Churchill for his role in the sighting of the Japanese Fleet, resulting in the saving of modern day Sri Lanka from invasion.)
The Stranny was a twin-engine, biplane, generalreconnaissance flying boat that carried a crew of six. Its armament comprised three Lewis machine-guns in the bow, dorsal and tail turrets and a maximum bomb-load of 454 kilograms. Through service ranging from antisubmarine warfare to search and rescue, the aircraft earned a reputation for ruggedness and reliability.
The Stranraer will be the first RCAF aircraft in the museum’s collection, which consists of vintage Royal Canadian Navy aircraft. Documents and manuals will be collected and researched thoroughly before the reassembly begins. “If you look at the pictures of it, the Stranraer is made of a combination of aluminum, stainless steel, wood and fabric materials,” says SAM curator Christine Hines.“As a museum, we are in the business of restoration and preservation. To maintain the aircraft after it has been reassembled, we have to consider such details as where in the museum it will be displayed and environmental conditions such as the relative humidity and lighting.”
Restored, the Stranny will measure 16.6 metres in length and 6.6 m in height, with a wingspan of 30 m (and, if it could fly, a maximum take-off weight of 8 618 kilograms), so another issue will be available space on the display floor.
The historical value of this aircraft is immeasurable. Restored and sitting on SAM’s display floor, the Stranny will bring to life another chapter in the story of maritime aircraft that have flown from Shearwater. From the early days of the Second World War to present-day operations, the museum is keeping CF aviation history alive and vibrant, one piece at a time.
Tue Jan 06, 2009 12:43 am
Bill Thompson himself would be a good place to get information on the airplane. I visited him about ten years ago and he took me for a ride in his N3N-3 on floats and then flew a photo session for me as well (see my latest book "Vintage Flyers II"). He has two N3Ns, and a Cessna floatplane as well. He loves seaplanes and has made his living as a tug boat owner/operator in the BC area for decades. He is the perfect guy to be involved in this project.
Tue Jan 06, 2009 1:14 am
It's sad to see the plane leave BC as it did have a significant past here, but it sounds like it's going to a good home.
Capt. Bill is a very passionate man when it comes to preserving aviation history, and I know he's doing what he feels is best for the airframe.
It was on loan to the Canadian Museum of Flight for a while, but Bill took it back to his property near Pender Harbour when the museum was unable to have the space to properly display it, let alone store it properly from the elements.
I remember when it was at the CMF and remember how it was displayed as a very damaged collection of parts. I'm very excited to see it be restored. What a challenge it will be though!
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
David
Capt. Bill is a very passionate man when it comes to preserving aviation history, and I know he's doing what he feels is best for the airframe.
It was on loan to the Canadian Museum of Flight for a while, but Bill took it back to his property near Pender Harbour when the museum was unable to have the space to properly display it, let alone store it properly from the elements.
I remember when it was at the CMF and remember how it was displayed as a very damaged collection of parts. I'm very excited to see it be restored. What a challenge it will be though!
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
David
Tue Jan 06, 2009 2:57 am
A couple of shots from a visit to CMF in August 1986.
PeterA
PeterA
Tue Jan 06, 2009 3:11 am
Looks kinda like a Sikorsky boat.
Tue Jan 06, 2009 6:29 am
any chance they will retrieve the cockpit section?
Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:57 am
Great news! I had no idea there were any left other than the one on display in England 
I've been a Stranny fan for the past year now (Thanks JDK!) I've spent almost the last year building an old Matchbox 1/72 Stranraer and JDK was very helpful. There were times I was tempted to make the kit look like the plane pictured above
but I finally finished it. 
I've been a Stranny fan for the past year now (Thanks JDK!) I've spent almost the last year building an old Matchbox 1/72 Stranraer and JDK was very helpful. There were times I was tempted to make the kit look like the plane pictured above
but I finally finished it.
Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:05 am
This Stranny was recovered quite a while ago and they did their best to locate the nose section, but I really don't think there's much luck in finding it.
It's worth a shot though.
-David
It's worth a shot though.
-David
Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:20 pm
daveymac82c wrote:This Stranny was recovered quite a while ago and they did their best to locate the nose section, but I really don't think there's much luck in finding it.
It's worth a shot though.
-David
That's going to be quite a challenge for the restoration team, hopefully the drawings still exist.
Wed Jan 07, 2009 1:02 am
No kidding,
It's going to be a big job. I think that's one of the main reasons that the airplane was not restored while Capt. Bill had it at the CMF.
I wish them all the best in their new project. I'm sure some pictures and plans exist.... I hope.
-David
It's going to be a big job. I think that's one of the main reasons that the airplane was not restored while Capt. Bill had it at the CMF.
I wish them all the best in their new project. I'm sure some pictures and plans exist.... I hope.
-David