Last Double Sunrise Catalina Pilot Dies

[harryleith]

Ivan Peirce died last month - the last Catalina pilot from the Double Sunrise unit. I wrote a piece in my local paper, but it isn't online. Read the article in The West Australian newspaper.

 

For those who don't know, the Double Sunrise were a unit flying Catalina flying-boats out of Crawley in Western Australia over a 6000km route to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) to maintain secure communications after the fall of Singapore in 1942.

 

The aircraft were dangerously overloaded with extra fuel, and all the guns, hull insulation, heaters and other luxuries were removed to give them the range needed. It was often freezing - Mr Peirce said you would lose exposed skin if you brushed against the fuselage.

 

RAAF aircrews were seconded to the Double Sunrise - so called because they saw the sun rise twice during their marathon flights - which was operated as a civilian air service under the auspices of Qantas.

 

Crawley was also home to the RAAF Catalinas - the Black Cats - who conducted long range anti-submarine patrols and mine laying operations.

 

After the war the Double Sunrise Cats were taken out past Garden Island naval base and sunk with explosives.

 

Wikipedia has more information about the Double Sunrise flights.

[Stingray72]

~Salute to another hero joining his brothers and friends.

 

 

 

~Rob

[Nesher]

saw some footage of the Catalina not too long ago on T.V (a series called "The Plane Facts")

 

<S>