VH-WWC (1)  Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina                     (c/n  1859)

                              

                                    Very rare photograph from the Geoff Goodall collection of the Catalina VH-WWC in Papua/New
                                    Guinea (just love the Austin A30 taking refuge from the fierce PNG sun under the starboard wing) 
                                  . Rowan Hughes advises that it appears to be at the DCA Marine Base in Konedobu which is still
                                    there now.          Built as a US Navy PBY-5A with Bu No 46495 it was civilianized in 1946 as
                                    N94574.          It was then registered to Australian Petroleum/World Wide Air Services of Port
                                    Moresby on 28 August 1957  .  Rowan says that the livery is that of the oil company and the area
                                    around Port Road and Airvos Avenue (up the hill where he lived) looks like the shot was probably
                                    taken in the late 1950s.  The Catalina was sold to TAA in 1961.   On 26 April 1962 it swung on
                                    landing in a crosswind at Oriomo River estuary, off Daru, PNG, struck an object, and sank.  The
                                    11 occupants were uninjured.    TAA eventually replaced it with VH-SBV.    From Ian Mackenzie
                                    come two equally rare photographs (below), showing (upper) -WWC with Trans Australia Airlines
                                    titling on the fuselage and (lower) the remains after the accident.