dar-es-salaam harbour 1945

[johnhill]

hi: my first attempt to try to verify if flying boats landed in Dar harbour: hope someone can help please? : my sister has told me she remembers very clearly a flying boat landing in Dar harbour with me aboard probably around September/early October 1945: But I can't recall this flight at all: I would have travelled from school in South Africa (P.Maritzburg): were there flights perhaps from Durban > Lorenco Marques > Dar-es-salaam at that time ?? Any info/help about this would be greatly appreciated: many thanks: John Hill (now 81 and beginning to fade)

[renfrew]

Yes,BOAC were still flying the C class flying boats at this time between Durban and Calcutta.
Route was Durban/L.Marques/Beira/Mozambique/Lindi/Dar es Salaam.

[johnhill]

Renfrew: thanks so much for info on Durban to Dar BOAC flyingboat flights: wonder how long this journey took? any info on this? but please do not go out of your way for this. strange my memory has failed me on this trip, as I have great memories of the remaining journey to England: Nile steamer 'Lugard' and train to Cairo, and troopship Cape Town Castle from Port Said to Southampton: Also, In 1933 my father had to take me from a remote area in Tanganyika to England for medical treatment and he records we flew Imperial Airways, Hercules class plane Nairobi to Cairo, thence Alexandria, and then went by Scorpio class flying boat to Athens, then Brindisi where we had to the catch a wagon lit overnight train to Paris, and onwards by plane to London (Croydon): gosh, how travel has changed!!

[Solid Rust Twotter]

Scorpio class or Scipio class?

[renfrew]

I have a 1946 timetable which shows departures from Durban on Wed and Sat 06.30.
An overnight stop at Mozambique and arrival Dar Es Salaam Thu and Sun morning 10.00.

[johnhill]

thanks: my father wrote, (in his later life) "At Alex we caught the Scorpio class flying boat and by comparison with our previous plane, this was luxury, and there was even a small bar down some steps. Our first stop was Athens and then Brindisi. Everyone was kindness itself - the aircrew, the other passengers, the hotel staff, all helped to entertain John (ME, AGED ABOUT 18 MONTHS) . although he seemed to suffer less from fatigue than I did. There was no plane from Brindisi to London etc etc etc....."
My father may possibly have got Scorpio confused with Scipio ??? Would 'the small bar down some steps' help to identify, I wonder? Not being well versed in Flying Boats I wouldn't have a clue, but thanks anyway, for your help. Date of this flight was 1933: does that help?

[johnhill]

thanks again Renfrew - VERY interesting:

[renfrew]

The three Short Kent flying boats,Scipio,Sylvanus and Satyrus went into service in 1931.

[CaptZeloZelo]

i think there may even be pictures of this in the restaurant/bar of the serena downtown. i may be wrong but i remember seeing plenty of different aircraft pictures from that era that once flew around dar.

[albatross]

I think if you also post this on Aviation History and Nostalgia thread you will get even more replies and perhaps some photos.