In its announcement, UAS revealed that it has
begun a search for one the most famous of Pan Am’s flying boats - the
Boeing 314. During the B-314’s years of service,
two of the twelve produced were forced to land mid-ocean short of their
destinations.
Their crew
and passengers were successfully rescued, but the airplanes were deemed
hazards to navigation and purposely sunk.
One of these aircraft, the
Honolulu Clipper, was the first 314
made by Boeing and flew scheduled passenger service from San Francisco
to destinations in the Pacific prior to World War II.
It
then provided military transport during the war.
In
April of 1946, Pan Am discontinued service with the flying boats as
newer, faster, higher-flying landplanes made them obsolete.
Some 314s went on to short careers with other
airlines, many of them languished in storage, but eventually all of the
remaining B-314s were scrapped.
Noting that sad fact, Capt. Jeff Johnston, airline pilot and consultant
to UAS, said during the announcement, “Our goal is to locate one of
these historic aircraft, evaluate its condition, and, if merited,
recover the aircraft for restoration and display so future generations
can view and admire a true aircraft legend.”
Many of those in attendance agreed that it was a shame that no one
thought to preserve any of the twelve planes produced and welcomed the
announcement.
President of UAS, Mark Allen, explained, “Technology improvements over
the past decade have opened up the world of deep water operations so
that what was considered impossible five or ten years ago is now quite
possible.”
UAS is a Seattle-based non-profit organization whose mission is to
promote the exploration, identification, documentation and recovery of
submerged cultural resources.
For more information, contact Mark Allen at 206-227-1833, email Mark at
support@uasciences.org,
or go to
www.uasciences.org.
You
may also contact Jeff Johnston at 253-691-9690, or email him at
jeffjohnston@qwest.net.
San Francisco, CA