Rare Short S-25 Sunderland G-BJHS photo captured near Tower Bridge, London, just before its transatlantic flight to join Fantasy of Flight in Florida.
Photographer Stuart H Boune
© Stuart H Bourne / Quality Aviation Photos International.
Short S-25 Sunderland G-BJHS (cn SH974, ex ML814) seen here on the River Thames near Tower Bridge shortly before departing to the USA to join Kermit Weeks Fantasy of Flight.
This particular airframe, c/n SH974, was originally delivered to the RAF in late 1944 as ML814 and flew with No. 230 Squadron on Atlantic convoy-escort duties before its post-war civilian conversion as G-BJHS.
The Short S.25 Sunderland was developed in response to Air Ministry Specification R.2/33 as a long-range patrol flying boat, sharing much of its design with the civilian S.23 Empire class. Its prototype first flew on 16 October 1937, and more than 700 were built, serving throughout World War II in anti-submarine, reconnaissance, and air-sea rescue roles across the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific. The type remained in military service until 1959 and even saw action during the Korean War, earning its reputation as one of the most versatile and widely used flying boats of its era.
Photographer Stuart H Bourne
© Stuart H Bourne / Quality Aviation Photos International.
