Beautiful Short Singapore III
Jul 3, 2014 21:02:51 GMT 12
mumbles, Peter Lewis, and 5 more like this
Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 3, 2014 21:02:51 GMT 12
This model has featured on the forum before but now it's close to finished. This beautiful 1/8th scale model has been built by my friend Alastair Rivers, and he recently took these photos of it in its natural element. He says, " One of my driving purposes is to help New Zealanders realise and appreciate the fact that “We” had four of these old girls out in the Pacific in the dark days of WW II and that although they never came to NZ, they were the foundation craft of 5 Squadron, RNZAF (as you of course know!). I’d be delighted to know that some more people might be learning something about our collective aviation history !!"
The four aircraft were gifted to New Zealand by the British Government, along with a fifth example, all derelict. A team of 30 RNZAF engineers went to Seletar, Singapore, to resurrect them using the fifth example as the spares source. Between June and December 1941 they got all four flying and they were then flown by crews all the way to Fiji, where No. 5 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron was formed in December 1941.
One was written off in a take off incident early on, but the other three flew on into 1943 and provided shipping escorts and anti-submarine duty flying from Suva, Fiji, and patrolling up to Tonga and back. When they were finally replaced by Consolidated PBY-5A Catalinas, two of the Singapores were scuttled to form part of a breakwater, and the third remaining aircraft was sold to a local, who removed the wings and tail and turned it into a house boat.
I think Alastair has done a marvellous job in recreating this graceful and important old four engined biplane flying boat. What do you think? Oh yes, and soon it will fly too!
The four aircraft were gifted to New Zealand by the British Government, along with a fifth example, all derelict. A team of 30 RNZAF engineers went to Seletar, Singapore, to resurrect them using the fifth example as the spares source. Between June and December 1941 they got all four flying and they were then flown by crews all the way to Fiji, where No. 5 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron was formed in December 1941.
One was written off in a take off incident early on, but the other three flew on into 1943 and provided shipping escorts and anti-submarine duty flying from Suva, Fiji, and patrolling up to Tonga and back. When they were finally replaced by Consolidated PBY-5A Catalinas, two of the Singapores were scuttled to form part of a breakwater, and the third remaining aircraft was sold to a local, who removed the wings and tail and turned it into a house boat.
I think Alastair has done a marvellous job in recreating this graceful and important old four engined biplane flying boat. What do you think? Oh yes, and soon it will fly too!
