19 thoughts on “Mechanics Bay 1945”

1. In the Percy Vos collection, there are drawings of boats like these. He may have responded to tenders issued buy TEAL or the Airways Dept.If any one is interested I can find them and post.

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2. Nathan,
   My guess is that it will say “Bendix Aviation”.

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3. Yes Harold, of course any of those could be right, but i persoanlly favour the pilot’s sandwiches option !!!– KEN R

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4. It definitely still has the plate on it, can’t remember the brand but will have a look. i remember it says aviation on it somewhere. Kotanui had an autopilot from a Spitfire, although I will accept correction that Spitfire may have been a myth

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5. Most capstans locally cobbled up from WW2 aircraft parts were from Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasps as fitted to Catalinas and are branded Bendix/Stromberg/Eclipse. Sunderlands’ Bristol Pegasus engines wore BTH units, so check the maker’s plate, which usually survives. Post WW2 there was a lot of aircraft stuff around. My MG TC had a Marshall Roots-type supercharger, originally a cabin pressure blower from a Spitfire/Lancaster. Why oh why did I sell that little red gem (CT1) my dear friend vintage steamer????????

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6. Well spotted.
   Perhaps the Sunderland’s 4 Bristol Pegasus 9 cylinder sleeve-valve radial engines developed so much torque on full-power take-offs that large quantities of lead were placed at the extremity of the port wing to counteract the strong yaw. Full left rudder might also have been necessary. Hence the bias to port when at rest…………………………..
   Alternatively it could just be a little bit of breeze or swell in the bay or the pilot left his sandwiches on his seat?

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7. Have just noticed that all aircraft are trimmed to port it appears, because they all have their port wing float in the water– coincidence perhaps, or wind direction maybe??? — KEN RICKETTS

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8. Just a comment re “So sad about these and the Catalina’s going for scrap”. I heartily agree, however there is oner ex-RNZAF Sunderland still extant (just) at MOTAT. Wouldn’t float in its present condition I’m sure, but just as worthy IMHO of preservation (although sadly probably needing $millions to restore), as the wee launches in the images…

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9. Nice shot, I like the smaller launch on the right.

   Korara’s capstan is the starter motor from a Sunderland, if you take your foot off the switch during operation it disengages and will only re engage once stopped…. Very annoying

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10. The vehicular ferry is the KOREA and at the naval base you can see ACHILLES

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11. I notice that the 2 larger patrol craft have their engine boxes in the cockpits well aft ,so it would esem they are almost certainly driven by V drives off the front end

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12. Mm I was in two minds as to presenting it.
    A quick google of Sunderlands Peter Lewis Collection puts one onto a couple of neat blogs.
    I was looking for photos of the Catalina that was here in the bay when I plucked that one out.
    George recalls a Sunderland being flown into the bay in front of the Panmure yacht club and it being scraped.
    So sad about these and the Catalina’s going for scrap. 😦

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13. It’s a pity we can’t see if the Scott-Paine launch in the foreground of Pam’s pic has a W number on the bows, which would identify it precisely. My guess is that she’s W6 which was returned to Auckland in May 1944 from Lauthala Bay, Fiji. The plane in that image is an RNZAF Short Sunderland.
    The planes in the top pic are the Short Empire class civilian flying boat ZK AMC “AWARUA” in the foreground, 3 RNZAF Sunderlands and an RNZAF Consolidated PBY5 Catalina at the rear. As a child, I thought it strange that AWARUA had been named after the Auckland Meat Company.

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14. All these boats were replaced by 1952, by which time Arch Tucket, — (owned OTAZZELL),– was running the patrol craft for TEAL, & I went out on them a good number of times between 1952 & 1954 & I don’t recognise any of the boats in the pics — KEN RICKETTS

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15. additional photo added.AH

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16. PS the little launch coming in at left is probably one of the locally-built runabouts used at Mechanics Bay for general purposes, often in charge of Flight Sergeant Johnny Wray of NGATAKI fame. Dave Jackson will probably be more precise on that one as his father was in the RNZAF Motorboat Section. It could even be the Collings & Bell 28 footer PIRI PONO which got rather modified by the Air Force and had a Chrysler Crown installed in place of its “orphan” 150hp Niagara..

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17. My pennyworth is the the left hand launch is one of the Hubert Scott-Paine designed control tenders, built by his company, British Power Boat Co, in 1939 for Tasman Empire Airways Ltd for the flying boat base at Mechanics Bay and later copied here. They floated around between RNZAF and TEAL operated by the Civil Aviation Board so it’s hard to be precise, at this distance, on which one she was. The first Hythe-built one arrived on EMPIRE STAR in June 1939 and was 37ft 6ins x 8ft 6ins and had twin 100hp petrol engines (Meadows I think, as fitted to Invicta and Lagonda sports cars and those Bren Gun carriers which didn’t have Ford V8s). They were guaranteed to do 18 knots but could touch 25.
    I think the middle launch is TASMANAIR, built for TEAL by Colin Wild in July 1941 with a very similar spec to the Scott-Paine boats, but had a large passenger capacity.
    The right hand boat is possibly the Scott-Paine 23 foot aircraft tug brought out on the EMPIRE STAR in 1939, fitted with a single Meadows.
    My Standard 5 and 6 classrooms at Devonport School, high up on Mount Victoria, had splendid views of proceedings at Mechanics Bay. We had one student teacher who would stop the class and let us see all departures and landings. There were some hairy ones, especially Catalinas in a strong westerly.

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18. Hi There. Know nowt about the boats but to see 5 (!) flying boats in one image…..absolute magic. These were the last halcyon days of the flying boat era when Mechanic’s Bay was linked to Rose Bay in Sydney (and on to London), and of course also t’other way with Samoa etc up through the Pacific Islands to the USA… A wonderful shot…thanks so much for this post…has made my day 🙂

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19. The three motor boats I believe belong to the NZDF, The two on the left perhaps beloging to NASU (Naval Air Sea Rescue), and the third perhaps Seagull or Penguin ??

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