Halifax Bomber

A few more pictures from our road trip, ending at the Trenton Air Force Museum. The first is a Halifax Bomber, about 6000 built by Britain during WW2. None survived, this one ditched in a Norwegian Fjord in 1945 and was rescued and restored in 2001 to 2009. There was one surviving crew member. Restores scoured the world for bits and pieces, even reclaiming a chicken coop made from the aft fuselage. Towed to and from dispersal by Fordson or David Brown tractors.
The next is a Canadair Argus, a retired long range recon aircraft used for submarine detection. Four Wright R 3350 engines, could stay aloft without refueling for over 30 hours. These were retired in 1981, engines were timed out, and they were sold for scrap for 3000 dollars each....
And of course, what museum would be complete without a DC 3

Ben

Or if you were in the royal it would be a Dakota. So sad to see aircraft outside. It is always going to slowly deteriorate. The weather can take on aluminum really fast when it wants to.

Way back in 1968 when I was at NAS Moffett Field in California we had a Canadian Argus visit. If I remember right it was physically larger than our P 3's.

No wonder the Halifax did not survive....with that target painted on the side? Or was it early advertising?

Every so often the RCAF museum sells off stuff or trade for parts they require, quite the operation they have. I traded some radial engine cylinders for an ejection seat from a Canadair Sabre Mk-6, still sitting in the basement today, need to make a wheeled base for it and move it upstairs.

....and put it in the passenger side of your car?
Ben

In the book, "Ghosts of the Air", by Martin Cadin, a story is told about one Halifax.

One was flown by a Polish crew and was returning from a bombing mission over Germany in WWII. The plane was shot up so bad that it was barely controllable. The pilot, a Sergeant, was mortally wounded and knew he had only minutes to live, and his chance of making a successful landing were basically nil. When they neared their base in England the pilot ordered his crew to bail out. He then attempted a landing, but overshot the runway and the plane sank in a bog off the end of the runway. Ten minutes later, there was no trace of it.

A few minutes later, a chaplain was walking across the base when a Sergeant in a bloody flight suit approached out of the dark and asked, "Sir, could you direct me to the Sergeant's mess?" The chaplain gave directions, but no Sergeant in a bloody flight suit showed up at the mess.

For years after, randomly, someone would be walking across the base at night and a Sergeant in a bloody flight suit would appear out of the darkness and ask for directions to the Sergeant's mess. And no Sergeant in a bloody flight suit ever showed up at the mess.

Fast forward to sometime in the early 1970's. England decided to reclaim some of the bog off the end of the runway. A large floating backhoe clanked on something metallic below the water surface, and pulled up the remains of a Halifax bomber with the pilot's skeletal remains still at the controls. The pilot's remains were given a proper burial with full military honors.

And no Sergeant in a bloody flight suit ever again appeared out of the darkness and asked for directions to the Sergeant's mess again.

Thanks goose for your story. Now if you want to listen to a real breath taker. Pull up CBC As it Happens. This is a daily show out of Canada that is a very smart and well done program. It shines as were our npr is total abundant crap anymore. Anyhow, pull up the pod cast for The Shephard. This chestnut they have on every year at Christmas eve. On like 7 PM at night. Scares the ever living daylights out of you!!!!!!!!! Please listen to it when it gets dark, unplug your phone, turn off the lites, and have a hot cup of tea. You will not be disappointed. Happy Christmas sir. Good night.

Thought about it......

I used to build a lot of plastic model kits as a kid and I still have a Halifax bomber I built. I always liked the twin tail planes. Had a couple of Lancasters at one time.

Great post!
Thank you.

Real cool old bird thank you for posting about it.

WayneLee, Too bad so many of those old war planes were sold for scrap after the war. In 68 I was at Moffett field. I was in VP 48 we had P3's also. I remember when the Canadian crew arrived. I never saw their plane. We were going to Adak Alaska on the next deployment. That's when I got out. Stan

Just curious if you remember what type that is sitting outside? The 4 engine aircraft looks like a DeHavilland Judi you the shape of the cockpit.

Canadair CP 107 Argus.

BEN

Ok. See that now. Thought the second picture was the Argus but it’s the side view of the Halifax.