Rukuhia aircraft dump

[Dave Homewood]

Welcome Scott. I have asked to join.

[emron]

Mar 4, 2020 20:18:48 GMT 12 agile said:

A chap in the Waikato has been in touch with some bits and pieces he recovered from Rukuhia or nearby. He got onto us because he also has a set of Hudson mainwheels which are looking for a home. Wondering if anyone recognises any of the bits pictured below (most of it looks aircrafty to me but none of it's wooden or wonderful enough for my limited bits recognition skills). Anyone recognise anything?:
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Coming randomly across reference to “MAZLO” on the Key Aero forum has led me to identify the parts in photos 7,8 and 10. They are all parts of Martin turret 250CE as used in the Ventura. As suggested earlier by madmac, photo 10 is the dual ammo chute and the switch is for the booster motors that drive the belt feed.
I thought that the castings (photo 7) were vaguely familiar but didn’t recognise the trade mark on them until now. I’ve just discovered that MAZLO is the trade name of American Magnesium Corporation (a subsidiary of the Aluminium Co. of America) The casting numbers (D 266743 and D266744) may well be the Martin part numbers. I just don’t yet have access to a parts list to confirm. They must be the support arms for the gun sight.

Dave’s close up photos of these parts can be seen here:
rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/20036/lockheed-rb-34-ventura-motat

The ALCOA casting D-266819 (photo 30 page 12) is also most likely another part for the turret. I’ll let you figure out where that fits.

[42jailbar]

Still so many p40s lying in the paddock. Such a shame these weren't saved.

qusaote author="Damon" source="/post/103363/thread" timestamp="1284361007"]On the previous page,it looks like the P-40(N?) going on the back of the truck has unusual bomb attachment points underneath the right wing. Cracker pic's![/quote]

[42jailbar]

At least $1,500,000 is the worth of a p40 now. What a crying shame more weren't saved. What happened to the dauntless sbd's.

quote author="@zacyates" source="/post/103401/thread" timestamp="1284417196"]

NZ3256

And this was turned into ingots? Just. Plain. Madness. What amazing photographs!

So was NZ3210 the "Silver Barge", then?[/quote]

[42jailbar]

Once able to fly to 30,000ft then left to rot until being reduced to pots and pans. Historic aircraft that helped push the Japanese out of the pacific. Absolute travesty.

Aug 25, 2017 22:08:41 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

The late John Scullin sent me these photos in April 2007.




This was at Asplin's Garage, Rukuhia

[Damon]

SBD's bought by J Edwards (no relation) and melted down in Onehunga , Auckland. RNZAF Museum have NZ5037 and NZ5062 airworthy at Planes of Fame , Chino.

[Dave Homewood]

From the No. 41 (Transport) Squadron records, these seem to be the delivery dates of several Venturas to No. 1 Storage Depot at RNZAF Station Rukuhia in 1945, the end of the line for them.

15th of June 1945
NZ4583 - pilot Robert 'Brick' McSkimming
NZ4588 - pilot Eric 'Spic' Spicer
NZ4590 - pilot Pat Mullooly

16th of June 1945
NZ4595 - pilot Pat Mullooly
NZ4602 - pilot McSkimming 
NZ4605 - pilot Vic Trayes 

17th of November 1945
NZ4525 - pilot Lloyd Parry 
NZ4569 - pilot Wilson 

[A4k]

G'day guys!

Does anyone have any more photos or information about the Chevrolet crane and Ford (6 or G8TA?) truck seen in the P-40 removal photos?
I have some Rukuhia dioramas planned in 1:72, based on photos here, and need to know rego's, crane mount details, etc of the vehicles mentioned.

I will be modifying the crane from an IBG Chevrolet C15 ( No. 13 cab) Watertanker, and the truck from the PST Ford 6 or G8TA, depending on which type it actually was! (Know my aircraft, not great with vehicles :-) )

Hope someone can help!

Cheers, Evan

[komata]

Concerning the Chevrolet crane and FWIW: it was for many years located in Hamilton East - somewhere around the County Crescent area - and was visible from SH 1 as that road descended into the 'Riverlea wreckers' gully. It eventually disappeared from that site and I was subsequently advised that it had been purchased by the late Ross Paton of Cambridge; a gentleman well- known in military vehicle restoration circles.


Unfortunately, I don't know what happened to it after Mr Paton died, but perhaps the Tauwhare Military Museum near Cambridge (Address: 1149 Victoria Road, Tauwhare 3287) might be able to assist concerning it's subsequent fate / current whereabouts.

As I said, FWIW; I hope this helps.

[A4k]

Thanks mate! I'll drop them a line.

[miclittle]

Hi Agile, The green rod in picture 23 looks to be a Oxford pedestal control rod...... for the mixture or throttle.

[Dave Homewood]

Many Uses For Parts From Salvaged Aircraft: Good Aluminium Output

"And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning-hooks..." is an old Biblical saying which is being given practical effect at Rukuhia aerodrome, where several hundreds of aircraft from the Pacific theatre of the last war are being stripped down and put through a furnace emerging as metal ingots. Their thousand and one fittings are progressively finding their way into the greatlv expanding number of factories throughout the Dominion.

Since a salvage company purchased the now obsolete machines about two years ago between 300 and 400 tons of aluminium ingots alone, as well as tons of other metals, have been produced and a large quantity of parts has been sold. Already 2000 gross of nuts and bolts have boon absorbed in to industry, having found a ready market.

Of the old machines, principally Corsair, Ventura and Kittyhawk aircraft, only 25 have disappeared completely from the scene but stripping on many others has reached an advanced stage. Most of the machines have had their wings and tails shorn from the fuselages.

Equipment For Factories
Twelve factories in Auckland were employing different types of hydraulic and electrical equipment from the planes, said Mr. J Larsen, manager for the Rukuhia Salvage Co., which is doing the work. He said that in addition to these factories in Thames and several different parts of the Dominion were using the gear for such work as the manufacture of exhausts for motorcars, die casting, hydraulic presses, pipe bending, making spouting for buildings and many other purposes. One factory using the equipment was producing parts for washing machines.

Front-end loaders for tractors and bulldozers were being adapted with the hydraulic machinery which was once used to keep war planes in the air. Hundreds of tyres and wheels have been sold and there are very few left, this having been one of the first salvage jobs tackled.

25 Tons of Aluminium a Month
From only half a dozen, when the enterprise began operations, the staff has grown to 22 today. They are producing about 25 tons of aluminium a month besides stripping and storing the many parts. The aluminium emerges from the furnace in 12lb. ingots and the daily output is in the vicinity of a ton and a half. The wings and fuselages are cut into workable size by acetylene torches and by means of hydraulic-lifting apparatus are fed into the furnace. It takes half an hour for a Corsair wing to be reduced to molten metal.

As the molten metal comes from the furnace it is automatically poured into the moulds and carried along a conveyor and tipped out as ingots, the whole operation being accomplished with hydraulic equipment salvaged from the aircraft.

GISBORNE HERALD, 24 JULY 1950

[Dave Homewood]

Long Salvage Job
It Is expected that it will be another two or three years at least before the huge task of salvaging the derelict aircraft at Rukuhia aerodrome will be completed. Amongst the equipment most in demand are generators and starter motors which are being used in civilian industry as winch motors and starters for diesel tractors. Electric motors are finding a ready market for the purpose of electric light plants in isolated areas. As there are over a dozen different metals in each aeroplane care has to be exercised to ensure that they are separated for smelting purposes. Steel, bronze, marzac, copper and magnesium are among them.

GISBORNE HERALD, 18 JULY 1950

[ngirl5]

That is beyond sad. Hard to read or look at the photos too long 

[axelford]

Jul 19, 2021 13:48:49 GMT 12 ngirl5 said:

That is beyond sad. Hard to read or look at the photos too long 

But yet I cannot keep myself from checking this topic, sometimes I think I am just trying to wish a undiscovered dump survivor into existence 

The other day I meet a guy who's father worked at a metal reclaiming plant and kept two ammo containers from 1955 because they were useful for storage, when I think about all that recycling and the economic downturn for some places after world war two it seems partly understandable, but it still hurts that not just a few more aircraft were preserved.

What are peoples thoughts, do you think anything substantial remains in the dump area? I remember someone saying they found a Ventura turret and a Kittyhawk firewall not too long ago...

[Deleted]

There was a young bloke who took some WONZers on a mini-dig at Rukuhia a decade or so back as part of a forum meet, he'd spent a lot of time looking for whatever remained beneath the surface. I often wonder what he's up to know - his enthusiasm was very infectious!

[Dave Homewood]

Zac, Tony still lives there, he built his own house next to his parents' home. He is a builder these days and married, and does not get much time to go digging any more, but he's still very enthusiastic about the history there on his doorstep.

[ngirl5]

Axelford, totally. I think alot of us will be hoping. I'd love to know too.
Yes it was very understandable but no less awful it had to happen 
It's unthinkable to see that done to such beautiful, amazing aircraft. Which became so rare.
Keep wishing, you never know! : ) <3<3<3<3

[Dave Homewood]

PRESS, 23 JULY 1952

PLANES MELTED DOWN

SCRAP ALUMINIUM RECOVERED

DUMP OF 450 MACHINES AT RUKUHIA

"The Press" special Service. PALMERSTON NORTH, July 21

The scrapping of about 450 aircraft which were parked on the fringes of Rukuhia aerodrome at the end of the Pacific war is reaching its final stages.

When Mr J. Larsen. of Palmerston North, bought the entire fleet of planes from the War Assets Realisation Board about four and a half years ago, they were spread over an area of between 30 and 40 acres. To-day, with three-quarters of the task completed, the remains of only about 100 planes still lie derelict, awaiting their turn to be transformed into aluminium ingots.

Materials reclaimed from the planes are either stored or are piled high in dumps near the works buildings. The more useful by-products of the destruction of the aircraft, such as hydraulic gear, cameras, pumps and many other pieces of equipment, have received precedence in the dismantling process, and most of these have been sold.

The aircraft go into a furnace measuring six feet square like herrings into tins. The noses, wings and tails are shorn from the fuselages with electric torches. They are lifted into the furnace by a special crane which was made from hydraulic gear recovered from aircraft. It takes about 15 minutes for a fuselage to be reduced by the furnace to ingot form. There are 14 men employed in the industry, three in melting, one on the truck, and the rest on dismantling work. With 23 years’ experience in the scrap business, Mr Larsen has tackled the job immediately. Tyres and propellers were disposed of first; engines were removed and the cockpits stripped of all useful materials before the torches went to work. It is the stripping down that takes by far the most time.

Looking back on the enterprise, Mr Larsen considers it to have been worth while. He thought originally that it would take him about eight years to complete the job. However, he now thinks that another 12 months should see him finished.

[Dave Homewood]

PRESS, 23 JULY 1952

SCRAPPED U.S. PLANES

POSSIBLE SALE OF ENGINES

DOMINION MAY GAIN DOLLARS

"Th* Press" Special Service, HAMILTON. July 21.

Dollars may come to New Zealand from the resale of engines and spare parts for Corsair fighter aircraft. An American business man who recently passed through the Waikato said his company was prepared to buy between 15 and 20 Corsair engines a month. Corsair fighters form part of the group of 500 service aircraft dumped at the Rukuhia aerodrome after the war. They were sold to dealers and already three-quarters of them have been broken up for spare parts and for the metal they contain. The Korean war unexpectedly proved that the Corsair is still a useful fighter. Newsreels screened in New Zealand this month showed some of the planes on the deck of a United States aircraft-carrier.

The engines and spare parts from New Zealand are not likely to find their way to the Korean war. They will be used as replacement parts for Corsairs bought at a knock-down price by some of the smaller countries in Europe and South America. The American dealers who sold these planes undertook to provide spare parts for 10 years from the date of purchase. The manufacturers of the Corsair aircraft have since turned to new models and spares have become difficult to obtain.

In the last year the American dealers have been searching aircraft dumps all over the world.