The Last Sunderland by Michael Rondot  Short Sunderland ML814 served with 01, 422 (Canadian) and 330 (Norwegian) Squadrons during World War II and is now the world's last airworthy Sunderland. Battered and weatherbeaten by the North Atlantic, ML814 flies over the Antrim coast. Painted for the manufacturers.  Signatories: Sqn Ldr. Don Gray, Sqn Ldr Dick Dulieu. War in the Atlantic by Stan Stokes. During WW I Germany made very effective use of its U-boat fleet in a campaign which almost resulted in Englands defeat. As a result, the Versailles Treaty prohibited Germany from possessing submarines. By the late 1920s Germany had circumvented these restrictions and by the time WW II began, they had several dozen U-boats in service. The period between July of 1940 and December of 1941 was known as the fat years for the U-boat fleet. During this period, aided by the use of French Atlantic ports, and the effective use of wolfpack hunting techniques, German U-boats wreaked havoc on convoys in the Atlantic. By the spring of 1941 the Nazi U-boat fleet numbered 120, and later in the war would exceed 350 in number. The tide began to turn in favor of the Allies in late 1941 when the Royal Navy acquired fifty old destroyers from the U.S., and began an effective campaign against German weather and supply surface ships which supported the undersea hunters. The RAF was also involved, and the Short Sunderland flying boat played an important role in stemming the tide. The Short Brothers acquired one of the first licenses to built Wright biplanes, and eventually began building their own designs, including a number of dirigibles and torpedo planes during WW I. After the war they developed the first British all metal aircraft, the Silver Streak. The company is probably best known for a series of commercial flying boats, the pinnacle of which was their Empire Series of 4-engine, high wing monoplanes which were capable of cruising speeds of 200-MPH. The Short Sunderland was developed in the 1930s for the British Air Ministry as a long-range, all purpose flying boat. It was a large aircraft for its time with a wingspan of 112 feet. More than 700 of these aircraft were produced. During WW II the Sunderland was utilized in the anti-U-Boat role. With its armament upgraded the aircraft earned the nick-name the Flying Porcupine from U-boat crews. When America entered the war, the U-boat command expanded its hunting zone all the way to the East Coast of the United States. For a period the submariners experienced another period of happy times, and in November of 1942 almost 750,000 gross tons of shipping was lost. With production of averaging five new U-boats per week, for a time it appeared that victory in the Atlantic might be obtainable for the Germans. Eventually, the U-boat war was won by the Allies through the use of effective radar technology, the use of the Leigh Light (a powerful airborne searchlight), development of forward firing depth charges, and the use of special techniques to counter the U-boat threat. The U-boats also suffered from a general lack of coordination between its command and that of the Luftwaffe. In May of 1943 a total of 41 U-boats were lost, and by early 1944 more U-boats were being destroyed than Allied merchant ships were being sunk. The men who served in the U-boat command during WW II had the most hazardous of all positions in the War with close to a 75% casualty rate by wars end. Constant Endeavour by Michael Rondot  During World War II Sunderland aircraft of Coastal command played an outstanding part in convoy escort and anti-submarine campaigns in the Battle of the Atlantic and in other waters. RAF, Canadian, Australian and Norwegian Squadrons equipped with Sunderland aircraft accounted for at least 58 enemy submarines sunk or damaged. Michael Rondot's study features a pair of Sunderlands making a victory salute low pass over their base at Castle Archdale, N. Ireland.

Tireless Vigilance by Stephen Brown  With grace and majesty of mighty battleships, a pair of Short Sutherlands sweep out towards the dangers of the North Atlantic.  With a 12-hour mission ahead of them the skill and dedication of the crews would once again play a crucial role in protecting vital supply lines from the menace of German U-boats. The following pilots have all signed copies :  Flt. Lt. John Bishop jopined the RAF in April 1943 from Edinburgh University Air Squadron and trained as a pilot in Rhodesia.  In August 1944 he was posted to Diego Suarez to fly Catalina flying boats on anti-submarine patrols.  He converted to Sunderlands at Mombassa on 209 Sqdn. and 57 MU also on Sunderlands until 1953.  This included the Berlin airlift in 1948, flying from the river in Hamburg to Havel Lake, and flew in an anti-shipping role in Burma.  At the end o fthe war in the Far East he flew form Hong Kong and Singapore until returning to the UK in Spetember 1946.  He continued on 201 Sqd. Flying Boats until 1953.  Thereafter he was mainly employed on V.I.P. duties flying from Malta, Northolt, Fontainebleau, Bovingdon and White Waltham.  He flew 173 ops and 1800 hours on Sunderlands and 1800 hours on Devons out of a total of 6250 flying hours.  The last fiver years of his service was as an Air Traffic Controller at R.A.F. Benson and RAF Abingdon. Wg. Cdr. V. Hodgkinson DFC, MID, MRAeS, joined rhe Royal Australian Air Force in 1937 (Service no 463).  He was posted to No. 10 Sqdn. RAAF in the UK in January 1940 flying Sunderlands from Pembroke Dock and went on to serve until 1942 flying operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean from bases in Pembroke Dock, Oban, Plymouth, Gibraltar and Alexandria (Egypt).  In 1942 he was posted back to No. 20 Sqdn. in Australia flying Catalinas from Cairns on bombing raids over Japanese bases and anti-shipping patrols throughout the Solomon Islands and north of New Guinea .  He went on to complete 44 operations and commanded this squadron until 1943 before becoming Chief Flying Instructor, Catalinas 3 OTU Rathmines.  Vic later formed and commanded No. 40 Sqdn. RAAF Sunderlands, Port Moresby, New Guinea until 1945.  He retired from the RAAF in 1946 to join BOAC, Hythe, flying their civil Sunderland conversions - Hythes, Sandringhams and Solents.  Vic transferred to landplanes in 1950 flying Canadair "Argonauts", Bristol "Britannias, DH Comet 4s, 707-436s and 336s.  Vic retired in 1971 having amassed 19,300 hours, including some 4,300 hours on Flying Boats.  In his retirement Vic is currently restoring and maintaining a Sandringham Flying Boat at the Southampton Hall of Aviation. Wg. Cdr. A.W.L. "Paddy" Mahon MBE, C. Eng. MRAeS,  started his 37 year career in the Royal Air Force in 1930 when he enlisted as an Aircraft Apprentice at Halton.  he served as Metal Rigger and later as an Aircraft Fitter on Fleet Air stations and ships, for a while on Queen Bee aircraft.  In 1937 he finally succeeded in selection as an Airman Pilot. EFTS at Bristol, SFTS at South Cerney, Maritime Recce at Thorney Island, and finally Flying Boat School at Calshot.  There he learned his craft as a "Boat" pilot on ageing Supermarine Scapas formerly used by 202 Squadron, Malta.  On completion he was posted to 228 Squadrion at Pembroke Dock which was in process of re-equipping with Stranraers.  In December 1938 he was 2nd pilot on the collection from Rochester of the Squadron's first Sunderland.  In June 1939 the Squadron moved to Alexandria for Naval Co-operation Exercises.  In addition to these the Sunderlands were used for long range V.I.P. flights and for transport around the Med.  In course of these, the crew of which Sgt Mahon was a member, visited Malta, Bizerta, Cairo, Cyprus and for the third time Athens, leaving on 2nd September 1939.  The Squadron was ordered home to Pembroke Dock on September 9th and immediately started the round of convoy escorting anti-submarine sweeps and general maritime tasks covering from Norway to Malta.  On 24th November Sgt Mahon was one of the crew detailed to search for the "Deutschland" after it had sunk the armed merchant cruiser "Jervis Bay".  The operation involved the crew in 15 hours of flying in the most severe weather.  Detachments to the Shetlands often meant the whole crew living on the aircraft for several days at a time because the weather prevented small craft coming along side but flying by day continued.  In June 1940 he was seconded to 10 RAAF Squadron at Mount Batten to increase their roll of qualified first Pilots.  One of his first trips was to convey Lord Gort and Mr Duff Cooper to Rabat on an unsuccessful attempt to persuade the Sultan of Morocco to continue the war on its allies' side.  That trip earned the Captain a DFC.  In the months he spent with 10 Squadron several trips were made to Malta supporting the Hurricane reinforcement by aircraft carriers conveying essential ground personnel and equipment including one load of several tons of Browning gun links, none of which were held on the island.  In February 1941 it was back to "two layers of wing".  He was posted to 202 Squadron at Gibraltar, which was flying Saro Londons but expected to be re-equipped with Sunderlands.  He travelled as a "passenger" on a 10 Squadron aircraft in company with Anthony Eden and Lord Dill.  That trip is recorded in several books on the Sunderland as being "special".  It was Sgt Mahon's last ever time flying in a Sunderland as 202 Squadron were subsequently re-equipped with Catalinas.  The transfer meant flying to UK with a London, a memorable trip of over 15 hours.  Qualifying courses at Stranraer on the Catalina led to the ferrying flight back to Gibraltar.  Unfortunately on Sgt Mahon's ferry trip the elevator controls failed en route and the attempted landing at Gibraltar using only trim tabs resulted in a serious crash ending his flying career.  After a long period of hospital and subsequent rehabilitation, he reverted to his ground trade.  He was commissioned into the Technical Branch in which he served until 1967 being awarded the MBE in 1963. Sqn. Ldr. Alan Nicoll joined the RAF in February 1939 and trained as an Observer (Navigator).  His first posting was to 44 Squadron newly equipped with the Hampden bomber at RAF Waddington.  When war was declared on 3rd September 1939 he was immediately involved in operations flying that night on the very first sortie of WW".  By the end of 1940 he had completed a full tour of 37 raids before being commissioned and selected for advanced navigation training in Canada.  He was subsequently posted to Rhodesia as a navigational instructor and examiner.  He completed Pilot training before returning to the UK where he qualified as a Sunderland flying boat Captain serving at Calshot and Pembroke Dock.  In 1956 he took the last RAF aircraft to moor up in the Pool of London for "Battle of Britain" celebrations.  A posting to RAF Seletar (Singapore) followed where Sunderlands were finally retired from service in 1959.  He then served on Shackletons and in Transport Command before retiring in 1975.

Caught on the Surface by Robert Taylor  In a strange quirk of fate, a Sunderland of 461 Sqn RAAF identification letter U, destroys submarine U-461, a type XIV tanker, one of three German submarines caught on the surface by Allied aircraft in the Bay of Biscay on July 30, 1943. At extreme low level, Sunderland 'U' braves a barrage of gunfire from all three encircling German submarines to deliver a successful depth charge attack, sinking U-461 in a single pass. In an act of grace, the Sunderland pilot returned to the scene to drop a dingy to the U-boat survivors  Signatories: Wilhelm Hofken, Peter Jensen, Gerhard Korbjuhn, Dudley Marrows, Alois Momper, Horrie Morgan, John Rolland, Helmut Roschinski.