Flying Boats on the Thames

[one11]

Over the years various flying boats have been pictured on the Thames in central London, such as this BOAC Solent at the Tower in the 1950s and an Imperial Short Calcutta by Westminster Bridge in the 1920s.
Given that at both dates, the Thames was far busier than today with all the docks active, where were these boats able to land and consequently how far did they have to proceed upstream to their respective moorings ? Navigating past Tower Bridge to the Tower would not be a problem but to get to Westminster would require passing low bridges, or landing very close to its destination.

[DaveReidUK]

Wikipedia reckons that the Calcutta landed between Vauxhall Bridge and Lambeth (Suspension) Bridge, presumably then taxying under the latter to moor opposite Parliament.

[Self loading bear]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

Wikipedia reckons that the Calcutta landed between Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridges, though it would then have had to taxy under the latter, which is hard to believe.

Tidal changes are as high as 5m at lambeth bridge? Looks like that was enough.

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Self loading bear

Tidal changes are as high as 5m at lambeth bridge? Looks like that was enough.

That was my thought, too.

Bear in mind, though, that the bridge in the background of that photo isn't Lambeth Bridge.

[Self loading bear]

Originally Posted by DaveReidUK

That was my thought, too.

Bear in mind, though, that the bridge in the background of that photo isn't Lambeth Bridge.

You are correct that this is Westminster bridge.
The current Lambeth bridge is from 1932.
The old one was considerably higher.
The photo of the short Calcutta was 1928?

[treadigraph]

The persistence of memory suggests that somebody landed Edward Hulton's Sandringham somewhere downstream of Tower Bridge as late as 1981 and possibly even taxied it under the (open?) bridge to a mooring opposite where the Solent is shown. Pretty sure I even went to see it.

Edit: Arrived Tower Bridge 6th Aug 1982 - doesn't say which side! - appears to have been moored there until October '82 before returning to Calshot.

Mind you with 200' between the towers, there would only be about 40' clearance either side which is a bit tight all things nautical considered; maybe they moored where Belfast is...

Edit 2: Taxy she did... picture here...

Edit 3: The un-persistence of memory - Belfast is upstream of Tower Bridge - downstream of London Bridge! And I walked past a few years ago with the son of one of her WWII officers...

Another memory is that Keith Sissons (?) landed the Sea Tiger on the Westminster stretch around 1980 - celebration of an Alan Cobham anniversary perhaps?

[DaveReidUK]

Originally Posted by Self loading bear

The photo of the short Calcutta was 1928?

Yes, August 1928.

[Quemerford]

Originally Posted by treadigraph

The persistence of memory suggests that somebody landed Edward Hulton's Sandringham somewhere downstream of Tower Bridge as late as 1981 and possibly even taxied it under the (open?) bridge to a mooring opposite where the Solent is shown. Pretty sure I even went to see it.

Edit: Arrived Tower Bridge 6th Aug 1982 - doesn't say which side! - appears to have been moored there until October '82 before returning to Calshot.

I remember it well: thought it was prior to 1982 but I have a photo I took as we passed over Tower Bridge in a coach.

[AES]

Thread drift - flying boats on the Medway at Rochester

As above, thread drift, but as a nipper (4 or 5 years old perhaps) I can remember driving down the old A2 (London-Dover) "Arterial road" (none of yer A2/M2 & big concrete bridges stuff then!) with my Dad. I was in the dicky seat of an old (even then) Jowet Flying Fox, driving from Dartford (where I was born) going down to Herne Bay for the day. You went down a L O N G steep hill into Rochester High Street, past the Castle and over the old (lots of steel!) Medway bridge. Looking to the RH side when crossing that bridge there were (to me) several H U G E sheds (Shorts Brothers) on both banks of the Medway and often 2 or 3 big silver (or white?) flying boats moored. A great sight.

I was born in 1945 so I guess we're talking about the very late 1940s/early 1950s. Memory is of course rusty at this distance in time, but knowing a bit about flying boat history now I'm wondering if those boats were ex-RAF Sunderlands being converted to civil use (Short Sandringhams?) or new build aircraft?

In either/both cases I wonder where those boats were headed? To "Tasman Empire Airlines" (TEAL - the forerunner of todays Air New Zealand - 2 letter code still TE) perhaps?

Cor! That's a long time ago!

[one11]

Thanks for all the info. Not sure about whether the Sandringham is taxying under Tower Bridge - engines off, nose mooring position- open and someone standing on top [ - perhaps waiting for or casting off from a tow. ??

[VX275]

Another memory is that Keith Sissons (?) landed the Sea Tiger on the Westminster stretch around 1980 - celebration of an Alan Cobham anniversary perhaps?

Alan Cobham landed his Giant Moth seaplane on the Thames in front of the Palace of Westminster 1st October 1926 on his return flight from Australia.
The CAA couldn't have been watching, as he was knighted and not prosecuted.

[sablatnic]

Originally Posted by one11

Thanks for all the info. Not sure about whether the Sandringham is taxying under Tower Bridge - engines off, nose mooring position- open and someone standing on top [ - perhaps waiting for or casting off from a tow. ??

#1 is running, and #3 and 4 seems running too - the bent look of the horisontal blades indicates the use of a camera with certical shutter.

[QuePee]

Sandringham

[QUOTE=treadigraph;10848303]The persistence of memory suggests that somebody landed Edward Hulton's Sandringham somewhere downstream of Tower Bridge as late as 1981 and possibly even taxied it under the (open?) bridge to a mooring opposite where the Solent is shown. Pretty sure I even went to see it.

Edit: Arrived Tower Bridge 6th Aug 1982 - doesn't say which side! - appears to have been moored there until October '82 before returning to Calshot.

I am not sure about 1982, but she was definitely on the Thames near HMS Belfast in 1984. This series of pictures were taken in June 1984 and show G-BJHS. The latter two pictures were taken from the walkway on Tower Bridge.

QP

[Four Wings]

A good friend Ken Riddington was the producer of Tenko, the BBC series broadcast 1982-85 about women prisoners of the Japanese in Singapore in WW11.
At one point he filmed sequences on a Solent? Sandringham? moored in the Thames, pretending to be in Singapore. I think he used Greenwich as the backcloth.
Anyway, meeting my father-in-law and hearing how he used to fly to and from South Africa on business on BOAC Solents in the early 50s, Ken invited us all to have a visit on board. I cannot remember which year it was, but as I remember the Sandringham was moored off Greenwich.
We had a unique experience as we sat around and my father-in-law reminisced about about night-stops at Entebbe and Khartoum etc.

[treadigraph]

The image I linked to of the Sandringham at Tower Bridge dates it to April rather than my referenced date of August '82 - that fits in rather better with my memory which is of going up there during the Easter holidays shortly before going back to school for my final term...

This link suggests the Tenko filming was at Chatham in '85 - certainly the aircraft was based there for some period including her active period before Kermit acquired her. I recall seeing her displayed at Biggin Hill and West Malling.

[sycamore]

I knew I had these ..somewhere...Day out ,driving a` Big Yellow` down the heli-lanes...with a photoggy on board,and knowing the FEng on the `boat`....funny coincidence....!!


Photos credit-MOD

[fauteuil volant]

B####y marvellous, Quepee and sycamore!

[treadigraph]

Seconded! Sycamore, was the F/E Geoff Masterton? I believe he he crewed the aircraft for the delivery flight to Kermit.

[sycamore]

T-D,yes it was `Mastermind`...great shame such a good engineer went upstairs early,but I`m sure St.Peter` s
Zlin is in good shape......

[treadigraph]

Far too early... never knew him but I understood that many of the Southern aerobats liked him to look after their mounts. I'll bet St Peter never gets a look in with Williams up there too...

He would have made a good subject for a Profile in Pilot...