Unknown Canso Submarine

Scott Rose · **Posted:** Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:25 pm

Anybody have any idea which Canso this is?

Swiss Mustangs · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 6:00 am

Looks like this is one of the PBY's of long defunct Avalon Aviation that was based near Georgian Bay, ONT, Canada; the airfield was named Parry Sound [?]. If I remember correctly, this Firebomber company went out of business 1985/1986, when the contracts with the state were not renewed.

Went there in 1987 & 1991 and was able to photograph some of their ships (at least 6 of them) -

The sub in the photo looks like "Tanker One" - I definitely will now pull out my records & photos from back then - more later

Cheers
Martin

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 6:43 am

The colour scheme looks like RCAF. The one in Gananoque has the same colours.

Mike

peter · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:05 am

Mike it looks like it is a modified rcaf coclor scheme. The fuselage is all orange.
Speaking of Gananonque is she still there??

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:20 am

peter wrote:

Mike it looks like it is a modified rcaf coclor scheme. The fuselage is all orange.

Hmmm... I though the water was doing that, but you could be correct.

peter wrote:

Speaking of Gananonque is she still there??

As far as I know. Steve Tournay saw it last spring I think.

Mike

peter · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:31 am

Did steve get any pics Mike?
also is this canso still there and if so why was it not recovered...?

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 9:43 am

peter wrote:

Did steve get any pics Mike?

I didn't see them, but I am sure he did.

peter wrote:

also is this canso still there and if so why was it not recovered...?

It is nicely stored away in a hanger. It is the world's coolest time capsule. I don't know who owns it, and I don't know why it has been stored for so long. However it appears to have been well taken care of.

Mike

peter · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 11:43 am

Hello MIke
It was owned by an AME from Edmonton who was based in Germany? He used to come over once a year and have her towed out and do all the checks etc before running her up. He would then take greatcare in inhibiting the engines etc before she was towed back in to the hangar. He did offer her to a flying museum in canada and a meeting was arranged but noone showed up to meet him. He said that hell would freeze over before they got another chance!
She truly is a time capsule!

Dan Johnson II · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 1:49 am **Posts:** 659

OK got me confused. Is the Canso in the photograph recovered? Or are you referring to a completely different bird that is the "time capsule"?

Dan

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:03 pm

Dan Johnson II wrote:

Or are you referring to a completely different bird that is the "time capsule"?

Completely different birds. The comment was made that the colour schemes were very similar, both of which were RCAF schemes.

The one in the picture, the "submarine", had the fuselage painted orange which is different from the RCAF scheme which has the fuselage silver.

The "time capsule" example (not pictured here, just discussed) has the RCAF scheme with the silver fuselage.

Sorry for the confusion.

Mike

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:46 pm

CAF Corsair wrote:

I could be mistaken, but the PBY in the photo could possibly be PBY-5A, C-FPQP which nosed down and sank during a touch and go maneuver on Lac Cache, Ontario on July 18, 1987.

Scott,

Do you have the original photo. Can you see anything on the rudder?

Mike

Scott Rose · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 2:47 pm

mrhenniger wrote:

CAF Corsair wrote:

I could be mistaken, but the PBY in the photo could possibly be PBY-5A, C-FPQP which nosed down and sank during a touch and go maneuver on Lac Cache, Ontario on July 18, 1987.

Scott,

Do you have the original photo. Can you see anything on the rudder?

Mike

Nope, I got this from a random pillage of usenet groups. I know it is an Avalon bird but thats where the information stops.

peter · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 4:22 pm

http://edf.tauniverse.com/pby.html

B-29 Super Fort · **Joined:** Wed Sep 01, 2004 11:12 am **Posts:** 871

peter wrote:

http://edf.tauniverse.com/pby.html

Where is this PBY now and who owns it?

Steve T · **Posted:** Mon Oct 03, 2005 8:26 pm

Hi all--

Yep, I did get shots of The Gananoque Ghost back in the spring (stopped there en route home from the CAAA conference in Ottawa). They look similar to the one posted by Peter...as indeed would pretty much any photos of that Canso taken during the last thirty years or so! She's CF-NJL, ex RCAF 11093 iirc (the faint outline of the unit code QT and the last-three of the serial can still be made out on one side of the hull. I think it read QT:093 but can't be 100% sure).

The orange-and-grey "submarine" is pretty plainly an Avalon tanker. At least one of their, CF-CRR (RCAF 9757, I think) had a confirmed U-boat kill, and was once a hoped-for CWH acquisition, but that came to nothing and CRR left the country.

The other crashed example mentioned had a PQ* registration, which should make it a Quebec Government tanker (like Aerovision's C-FPQK, Tanker 712, or CWH's C-FPQL, Tanker 713). Did any of the Quebec tankers go to Avalon, or are we now discussing three different PBYs any or all of which might be recovery prospects one way or the other...?

S.

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Unknown Canso Submarine

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