Caribbean American
Airlines (North Star) Curtiss C-46 N1673M
(c/n 22460)
Bill
Larkins took several night shots at Oakland. This one is
his personal favorite. A 3 minute
exposure at
f.11 with his 616 camera in March 1953. I have nothing on
Caribbean American
Airlines except that it appears to
have been founded around 1948 and ran psuedo-scheduled
cargo and passenger services from
its base at Oakland. It operated under the name 'North Star'
with a couple of C-46s.
N1673M was a former C-46F-1-CU (44-78637) leased from the
USAF in 1948 by All American
Airways. Caribbean American continued the lease in
1950.
It was sold to Continental Charters in
1955 and then, in 1959 went to Paraguay as ZP-CCE.
It was written off in a crash at
Asuncion Airport on 4 January 1964.