| Place | Oceania: Australia, Victoria, Lake Boga |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P02018.047 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Negative |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Royal Australian Air Force PB2B-1 Catalina flying boat, A24-206 taxis across Lake Boga prior to ...
Description
Royal Australian Air Force PB2B-1 Catalina flying boat, A24-206 taxis across Lake Boga prior to delivery to No.43 Squadron RAAF. Note the prominent tear drop shaped radar radome immediately above and behind the cockpit. This aircraft was later transferred to No.20 Squadron on 15 June 1945. Whilst with this unit the aircraft was accidentally destroyed whilst moored at East Arm in Darwin Harbour on 20 June 1945 during refueling after a test flight. The aircraft was fitted with a pair of 250 pound depth charges, both of which detonated as the aircraft sank. Two RAAF fitters were killed in the accident, 131729 Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) Walter Alexander Strang of West Wallsend NSW and 123199 LAC Richard Lewis Graham of Kelvin Grove Queensland. Both young men were aged twenty at the time of the accident and they are both buried at Adelaide River Cemetery in the Northern Territory.