"Station 597"

Discussion in 'General' started by phylo_roadking, Jul 4, 2009.

  1. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    I'm raising this thread here - because it's not QUITE a Museum Section thread...nor QUITE a War in the Air thread!

    Did any Northern Ireland members here ever visit the "Station 597" Air Museum at Langford Lodge during the few years it was open in the early 1990's?

    Completely separate from the Ulster Aviation Society premises on another part of the old airfield, this was a small private museum established with financial and other help from Lockheed, and was more dedicated to Lthe history of Lockheed's use of the site as it's major European servicing centre...and contained some Lockheed memorabilia.

    While it was open - in IIRC three of the old and better condition airfield buildings and a portacabin LOL it attracted quite a range of private memorabilia for display, including the old RAF Indian 741B motorcycle that used to live in the Witham St. Annex of the transport Museum, but after Langford Lodge it disappeared back into someone's garage LOL

    I'm asking...because I'm trying to get something confirmed; Lockheed donated a large number of photographs of the premises during the war and notable events there, and these were displayed in the portacabin "reception area" and cafe. One of these was of the crew of the Catalina that found the Bismarck in 1941; apparently Lockheed at Langford Lodge handled servicing and preparation of a lot of other American Aviation companys' aircraft on a subcontract basis...

    And the Catalina spent at least one night at Langford Lodge very soon after the Bismarck incident...and of course the crew was feted by the locals! ;)

    There's only one problem - I remember the picture showing a crew made up TOTALLY of U.S. personnel!

    Historically - the aircraft was captained as we know by Dennis Briggs, with Ensign Smith of the USN flying as co-pilot...and an RAF crew...although Smith's OWN post-action debriefing indicates that HE was in command of the aircraft and BRIGGS was flying "second seat".

    Now...I'm aware peripherally of the covert agreement between the U.S. and the UK starting in the summer of 1940, by which USN and Coast Guard flyers were brought to Britain and trained on ASW patrolling and combat; first as individuals and then entire crews with a British observer - "THE British Officer" as Smith refers to Briggs in his post-action report...which just had to rotate back to the U.S. and climb into an aircraft to begin ASW patrols of the U.S. East Coast. However - at present that's ALL I know about the scheme, I don't even have a name for it nor the agreement itself.

    (Conversely, I know MORE about the "exchange" leg of the scheme, the "Arnold Scheme" and the "Tower Scheme" - by which RAF flyers and FAA pilots respectively were taken to the U.S. and trained/converted to U.S.-supplied Lend Lease types for the RAF and Royal Navy)

    Can anyone direct me to details of the UK end of the scheme???
    ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Returning to the issue of the mysterious photo at the museum - does anyone else remember that??? I've tried emailing Lockheed, as they make GREAT play on their website of assisting with museums and schools, and supplying material to them as they did to the "Station 597" Museum...but strangely the REFUSE to enter into correspondance with INDIVIDUALS on anything to do with the company's history!!!

    No corporate Brownie Points in it... :(
     

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