1.
THE BLACK CATS IN THE ROTTNEST GRAVEYARD
Michael McCarthy

In February 1997 the Department of Maritime Archaeology
at the Western Australian Maritime Museum was requested
| by the Catalina Club of Western Australia to advise on the
feasibility of locating and raising at least one of the four
Catalinas scuttled off Rottnest Island in WWII. The Royal
Australian Navy also began searching for the wrecks.
Though the flying boats had been sunk soon after the
war as part of the Lend Lease agreements with America
, the Club felt the aircraft could be restored as a memorial
to the planes, their crew and their combined exploits.
Read Mike McCarthy’s report on the search and on the
feasibility and desirability of locating, raising and
conserving one of the aircraft.

CLICK HERE FOR MAC'S REPORT

Above:: An Australian Vultee Vengeance dive bomber

3.
SUBMERGED AIRCRAFT WRECKS IN NSW WATERS
Tim Smith
Maritime Archaeologist, Movable Heritage Officer
NSW Heritage Office, Locked Bag 5020
PARRAMATTA NSW 2124 AUSTRALIA


Several of the aircraft wrecked or abandoned in NSW’s
waters were built in Australia as part of a massive
aircraft building program from 1939. The hastily assembled
industry produced some 3,500 aircraft
of nine types, under the direction of the Department of
Aircraft Production. It comprised the Commonwealth
Aircraft Corporation, the Beaufort Division and the de
Havilland Aircraft Company. The main production types
included Beaufort bombers (and later Beaufighters),
Wirraways, Wacket and Tiger Moth trainers, Boomerang’s,
Mosquito bombers and Mustangs .
Today, aircraft types thought to be represented in the
underwater archaeological record in NSW include some
of the most famous names of World War Two –
Spitfires, Fairy Battles, Vultee Vengeance dive bombers,
Lockeed Hudson’s, Catalina’s, Beaufort and Beaufighters,
a Wirraway, de Havilland Mosquito, Sikorsky Kingfisher,
and a Glenn floatplane.

CLICK HERE FOR TIM'S REPORT (273kb download).