Neglected Flying Boat base.

[behblc]

Some more from Castle Archdale - when getting a Sunderland into the water , best staying dry.
Slip way at Castle Archdale , 1942, now only motor boats and jet skis go in and out.

[behblc]

Another view of the maintance area, last week this area was covered with 5-12 year olds on bikes , times have changed.
Photo probably dates from late 1944 / spring of 1945 - the catalina belongs to 202 Squadron.

[behblc]

Underwing view of a Sunderland on the slipway at Archdale, the aircraft in the background would be moored directly in front of "The Shetland Dock" shown earlier in the thread.

[behblc]

Sub/Lt Robbins, went back yesterday to tidy up his grave .

[Ralph P]

Post 243 provides a very nice example of how big these planes were. Thanks for the continued photographs and background data.

[behblc]

A view towards the slipway which may have been taken from the roof of a hanger to get the height angle.
As far as I am aware it is 423 who are on parade , possibly to recieve their new Squadron crest.

[behblc]

Found this one lurking in a book - must have set in to make a place sometime back.
A 209 Suadron Catalina moored on the Lough.

Last week there was a small remembrance ceremony for the crew of a 201 Squadron Sunderland which crashed doing night "circuits and bumps".
The accident took place in November 1943 ( 18th I think ) , some relatives were over from Canada - relatives of F/lt. Dolphin who was involved in several attacks in Biscay.
November was a pretty bad month for the operational squadrons , two Sunderlands crashed on the Lough , both with heavy loss of life.
( One from 423 , one from 201 Squadrons ).
One crashed in Donegal Bay ( 423 Squaron aircraft ) - all of the crew ere lost) and a 422 aircraft was shot down by a U-boat - again with the loss of the entire crew.
In the same month the nearby OTU lost two Catalinas and their crews , the worst month ofr losses at lough Erne for the entire war.

[behblc]

Found the remains of one of the radio masts which were errected close to the base Adminstration / Flying Control room at Castle Archdale.
There were at one time four masts which were approx 75 ft in height - all have been cut off at ground level , today only the concrete bases for each leg and stump of each mast remain.
All were covered by grass and moss .
See post 12 and 13 - http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/foru...d.php?t=205239
and the photos on that page which will orientate you to the lcoation in relation to the main admin building/ base site.
In post 12 the "Castle" is almost centre -the four mast are just to the right of centre - approx 300 ydes from the "Castle" / manor House itself.

[behblc]

The remains of one of the masts the concrete base for two of the legs - the other bases are still in situ covered by grass.

Perhaps not much to look at but at one time a vital link to the aircraft out on patrol , today few if any could take you to them.

[behblc]

Today the Lough is about three feet below normal level - the hydro electric station at Ballyshannon running off water lowers the level - a few weeks from now rainfall will bring things up again.
Some concrete poured durring the war comes to the surface .
Same slipway as seen in "246" , the Sunderland would be 3/4 on to this view.
Today nothing more lethal ( or annoying) than a jet ski , or a speed boat comes down to the water.

[behblc]

Today instead of a pinnace boat the only craft manoeuvering was this cruiers which came up to the Erne system via the Erne /Shannon link , the crew were Swedish .

The marina as seen in post 13 - contrats it to No 12 for a war time view.

[behblc]

Clearing up today came across some photos which I had not seen for some time - must be about ten yaers ago these were taken.

They show castle Archdale from the air - a standard 50mm lens was used the quality is not so very good.

This is a view of the the mouth of the River Erne and Donegal Bay .
The town is Bundoran a small local seaside town - today it hosts the usual arcades , fast food stops and unfortunately tcaky postcards and rubbish.

Beyond the town Tulland Strand running to the mouth of the Erne .A B-17 force land on the beach in 1943 - belly landed and she had to be sectioned to be taken away but the pilot did well to get her down.

The straight coastline over looking the starnd is a cliff - a Halifax from Tiree crashed there in January 44 - (a photo of the memorial stone is posted in this thread.).
This was one of two Halifax from Tiree which crashed in this area, a second forcelanded off Mullaghmore , several of the crew being rescued by local fishermen.
In April 41 Denis Briggs who found Bismarck and Eddy Edwards who was later to be a senior instructor at 131 (C) OTU Killadeas landed in a Lerick off Bundoran and out of fuel.
The Irish Goverment gave permission for fuel to be trucked down from Castle Archdale to the aircraft which departed for the short hope back to Lough Erne later the same day.
The high ground in the background claimed a 201 squadron crew in March 45 , they are all buried in Irvinestown - three months earlier the same crew had sunk U-297 North of Scotland.
These same waters claimed their first Lough Erne aircraft in Februay 1942, when a 201 Squadron Sunderland crashed in the bay , apart from some wreckage washed ashore no trace of the crew was ever found.

[behblc]

The B-17 which forcelanded on Tulland Strand in May 1943 .
( The photo is from my friend Mrs B. McCusker's book "Castle Archdale and Fermanagh in WW2".).
The cliffs in the background , the same ones the Tiree based halifax flew into in January 44, several years ago the irish army were called to deal with several pyrotechnic devices which mving snad had uncovered.
The beach is very popular with surfers but is dangerous to swim from and care should be exercised .

[behblc]

taken from the duxford based "Plain Sailing" cat this shows the landing area on a flat calm day, not perfect conditions on which to land.
Just at the edge of the blister winow "Innismackill" - a Catalina from 131 crashed there in May 43 , just in front of the Island is the ,"Gay island" .
In 43 a flying control tower was built here - the Island being clear of scrub and bushes. , the legs of the tower being made from oil drum filled with concrete. ( The tower less its portacabin) is still in situ today.).
the small dot third from the left is "Troublesome rocks" - a 228 Sunderland ended up here in januray 43 , sections of the aircraft are still in the waters around it today.
Also in this area a wr grave - the 240 Catalina which crashed at daawn on to a flat calm Lough Erne , only one member of the crew was ever recovered and the aircraft remains in the Lough - the memorial stone to this aircraft is seen in the openning pages of the thread.
On the approaches to Gay Island - June 43 a 201 Squadron Sunderland crashed on a bright sunny Sunday morning - water conditions as per this photo.
Assisting the junior pilot was F/lt. Douglas Gall who a few days earlier had sunk U-440 in the Bay of Biscay.
Also crashed in these waters two Sunderland in November 43 , DP181 of 423 ( Mel lee's crew - photo of the crew is posted in the thread) and W4036 of 201 squadron. A memorial to this crew is located in the car prk of the viewpoint overlooking the Lough's Southern shore.)
The view is one into the mooring area of the base .

[behblc]

the Mooring area at castle Archdale - 60 years ago this area was packed with aircraft - now only pleasure carft - having said that a local pilot has a lisence to operate a float plane from the Lough.
Flights can be booked at St. Angelo near Enniskillen.