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Post by hairy on Sept 1, 2008 19:49:53 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2008 20:34:11 GMT 12
Fantastic photos! We've seen a few photos of the Seafire here before but not being unloaded off the barge.
Both aircraft - Seafire and Firefly - look extremely weathered and battered about upon arrival, I am amazed peacetime aircraft got into that state aboard a ship without being tipped over the side. I'm actually wondering if they have come straight from Theseus or if they sat somewhere in the weather in between, such as the port?
The different paint jobs are no surprise, it was used as an instructional airframe for the Aircraft Finishers (painters) school at No. 1 TTS. It wore a few other schemes besides.
I'm really interested to see that the school had a Dakota and the Calibration Oxford too, not to mention all those colourful Harvards.
Note the racing stripe on the Firefly, was that standard in service?
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Post by alanw on Sept 1, 2008 20:57:05 GMT 12
Hi all
Just a quick question, the Firefly, any history on that, why
it came here and what happened to it?
I never knew we even had one here!!!
Totally amazing really!!
Thanks for posting
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2008 21:13:28 GMT 12
It came from HMS Theseus and was left as an unserviceable airframe for the RNZAF, like the Seafire. It became an instructional airframe at 1TTS and ended its days as a playground aeroplane at Hobsonville school or kindergarten before being scrapped.
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Post by shorty on Sept 1, 2008 21:27:00 GMT 12
The story as I heard it from Bob Allan who was a W/O at Ohakea at the time of the Vulcan episode and went on to be commisioned and was Res Eng at PAC is as follows.
The navy had a training base (HMNZS Tamaki) on Motuhi (sp?) Island and when the CO heard from the Theseus Captain that these aircraft were destined to go over the side he reckoned that as they were Navy aircraft they would be good at Tamaki.
When the base changed Commanders the new CO said This is a Navy establishment not the bloody air force -get those aircraft out of here! so they were loaded on a barge and taken to Hobbie
I have some photos that Bob gave me of the Firefly with navy types around it, the Seafire also.. When I came across them I'll post them here (rather than my stash thread)
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petera
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 88
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Post by petera on Sept 1, 2008 21:40:04 GMT 12
Well, what a marvellous spread.  The combined view of UK FAA historians is that the serial is SW853. I would take that as provisional rather than 100%. I am surprised that the early shots show not a vestige of a fuselage or underwing serial. PeterA |
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Post by shorty on Sept 1, 2008 22:00:51 GMT 12
Here's one of the photo's, supposedly at HMNZS Tamaki, I'll have to have another look for the rest of them.  |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2008 22:00:54 GMT 12
That is very interesting Shorty that they were with the Navy first, and that makes sense for the very tatty condition they seem to be in on arrival as they must have sat in the sea air and rain for a while. I wonder if the Navy actually painted them at some stage, hence the lack of serials.
I'll bet the RNZN Museum would love to have them now!!
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Post by Peter Lewis on Sept 1, 2008 22:01:29 GMT 12
The Seafire had accident on board HMS Theseus 15Oct46 - hence damage.
Any serial for the Firefly '294' V ?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2008 22:06:24 GMT 12
Note the Firefly in that first shot on the barge has '294' on the leading edge of each wing, and on the fuselage side on Shorty's photo looks to correspond. Does this help confirm the Firefly's identity?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2008 22:08:37 GMT 12
Ah, snap, you posted while I fluffed about peter...
Regarding codes, I bet the AC-F code on the Seafire stood for Aircraft Finishers.
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Post by sniff on Sept 1, 2008 22:10:36 GMT 12
The numbers on Shorty's pic certainly look like 294 ed. and the leading edge id would keep any LSO happy. It must be the one, eh FN? Our own FAA.  |
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Post by Peter Lewis on Sept 1, 2008 22:13:04 GMT 12
Confirmed - Air Craft Finishers.
294 on the wing does not necessarily relate to the aircraft serial.
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Post by shorty on Sept 1, 2008 22:37:26 GMT 12
Notice in the early shots the tips are folded but not on the barge shots? Also the spinner is dented and some rivets have sprung on the barge shots but no sign of the sprung spinner joint in the wharf shot.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 2, 2008 0:46:24 GMT 12
So the wharfies treated aircraft as badly as they treat cars then?
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Post by hairy on Sept 2, 2008 10:34:54 GMT 12
The Seafire had accident on board HMS Theseus 15Oct46 - hence damage. Any serial for the Firefly '294' V ? I have done the Firefly on a new thread and it looks like we have a difinative serial for you. ;D  |
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Post by baz62 on Sept 2, 2008 18:00:38 GMT 12
I am going to whistle up Dr Who and his Tardis, travel back to 1949 and tell those 'gentlemen' in charge to wrap them up and store them in a sealed container with "not to be opened til 2008" !!!!! (A side trip to Rukahia will of course also be on the cards!!)
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petera
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 88
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Post by petera on May 1, 2012 4:37:35 GMT 12
Hello,
I am compiling a spreadsheet of all the Spitfires and Seafires, or major parts thereof, that survived past 1 January 1955 but were lost and gone by 1 January 1970, the 'line in the sand' for inclusion in the main text of the book - Spitfire Survivors.
The list, with images, is planned as an Appendix for Volume II.
Can any body please confirm if the Hobsonville Seafire XV made it to 1955?
Many thanks,
PeterA
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 1, 2012 8:27:42 GMT 12
According to my notes "scrapped early 1950s" so I would say not.
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Post by kb on May 1, 2012 10:30:58 GMT 12
According to my notes "scrapped early 1950s" so I would say not. Not sure of that Peter. I took a photo of it with my Box Brownie and I don't think I got that until 1955. Not absolutely sure about that either though but it must have been close! |
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