With the big sponsons on it was faster than the rest of the fleet. We had to be able to go anywhere in the Solomons and back again without refuelling so we had available for medevacs a 300? litre tank in the cabin plus two big sponsons. The heaviest I have ever flown one was for the resupply at Rennel Island some 120 miles away. We would lift five drums of diesel underslung plus loads of rations (Pukka Pies and XXXX) inside the cabin plus fuel for the round trip. When we departed Henderson Field we weighed 20,000lbs with no wind and 30 degrees C.
We had to cross a 4,500 ridge almost immediately and the aircraft would stop climbing at 70 knots at 4,000 ft. I was then a case of threading between the Cu s and mountains to reach the sea the other side. Then down to 2,000 ft, 90 knots is all it could manage; feet up and fags out.
I can understand why the lower fuselage was knackered. We must have stretched it during those trips.