WHALE WORLD WARBIRDS

Air Classics, May 2004

Fascinating WWII aircraft for sale

John Bell, who died in a light aircraft crash in Australia on 13 March 1996, was a life-time aviation enthusiast. John flew as a whale spotter from 1962 until whaling in Australia ceased in 1978. In 1974, John and his wife Jill opened a small whaling museum in a Nissan hut near the present Whale World entrance complex in Albany, Western Australia. John traveled Australia for whale relics to fill the museum since whaling was an important part of the nation's past. While he was at it, he was collecting parts of rare aircraft. The remains of the old Whaling Station were donated by the family owning the area and John and Jill became managers of what would grow into the Whale World museum. Currently, however, the aircraft are being offered for sale and should hold great appeal to Warbird collectors.

The Catalina on display at Whale World was built by the Consolidated factory in San Diego for the US Navy as BuNo 08272 but was transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force in March 1943 where it received the serial A24-46. The aircraft served with No. 43 Squadron and in January 1944 it was used in mine lying operations which had the code name Serenade Carling on Kau Bay in the Halmahera Islands, northwest of Dutch New Guinea. On the way back, weather prevented a return to the aircraft's temporary base in Darwin and it was decided to set down in Snake Bay in the Melville Islands. During the subsequent refueling from a Naval fuel dump at that location, an electrical spark jumped from the ungrounded bilge pump to the fuel on the trailing edge of the wing, causing the edge and both ailerons to be destroyed. As a result, A24-46 was towed back some 200-mi to Darwin by HMAS Mercedes. After being withdrawn from service, the Catalina was sold surplus in November 1947 to C.K. Campbell. The Catalina came from Lake Boga near Swan Hill in Northern Victoria in 1990 where, during WWII, it was a flying boat repair depot for the RAAF and, after the war, a storage depot until the aircraft were sold through disposals. Most were melted down but some were bought by farmers in the area and used for all manner of things including barges and houseboats.

John Bell had long wanted a Vought OS2U Kingfisher, 18 of which were operated by the RAAF's No. 107 Squadron and were used for patrols against many of the German and Japanese submarines operating off the east coast of Australia. John found an example owned by Pierce Dunn at Mildura, northwest of Melbourne. Pierce lived in a trailer at the Mildura Airport and had collected airplanes and parts with the goal of starting a museum. John kept after Pierce for years, but Pierce would not part with the Kingfisher. Finally, Pierce relented and sold the plane, which carried RAAF serial A48-2. John disassembled the rare float plane and transported it to Albany. he then commenced a search for parts and was able to recover many Kingfisher components, often in surprising locations.

The rarest aircraft being offered for sale at Whale World is a Vultee A-35 Vengeance dive bomber. It would appear that the bulk of this aircraft came from a Northrop-built Vengeance Mk. II that went to the Royal Air Force as AF929. The aircraft was issued to the RAAF on 24 April 1943 as A27-247 at No. 1 Aircraft Depot, Laverton. It was then issued to No. 25 (City of Perth) Squadron and based at Pearce. Involved in a crash on 19 September 1943, the dive bomber was repaired and operated on anti-submarine patrols, the Vengeance was placed in storage at Boulder, Western Australia, on 22 March 1946 and struck off charge on 22 june 1948 when sold to a Perth scrap metal dealer named Bill Thomas for $25. he then removed the engine and landing gear but the remainder survived. The hulk was then acquired from a scrap yard at Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, by John Bell in 1966 and stored at Albany until 1972. It was loaned and moved to the RAAF Association Museum at Bullcreek, Perth, Western Australia, and was partially restored from a number of other Vengeance parts obtained from scrap yards. The project was trucked back to Albany on 5 October 1992. The engine and nose bowl have been restored to display condition while propeller blades from another aircraft have been fitted to the hub.

The aircraft are contained in a purpose-built building at Whale World and the owners are being represented by Sciona Browne who can be reached by e-mail at browne@eyandale.com.au or by phone at 011-61-8-9848-1431.