Foynes

[bvs]

Foynes Flying Boat base/terminal/museum

Foynes Flying Boat base
On my recent trip to SW ireland I was forced to stop for coffee at Foynes ;-)
I just didnt have time to look around (next trip :))
but a few snaps anyway

I had hoped to get a shot of the flying boat base on finals into shannon but we turned final about 1 mile too far inland :roll:...so i got the Aughinish Bauxite plant instead LOL :roll:

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0003-1.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0008-1.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0009.jpg

Tower

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0017.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0013.jpg

Partial Clipper replica

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0015.jpg

[bvs]

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0016.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0012.jpg

http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv316/volvosmoker/Skellig%20Michael%202010/IMG_0010.jpg

The museum is spread over a reasonable area and is in some of the original terminal /ops buildings,I will look around next time I am over there

rgds baz

[canberra]

As we all know Eire(as it was then caled) was neutral in wwii. During the period up to Pearl Harbour did the clipper still operate?

[REF]

Cracking photos Baz, I must confess I had no idea of themuseum there. Really good to see. The Clipper replica looks good too.

[bvs]

Re ...service up to pearl harbour

The short answer is...i dont know,I cant see why they would have had to stop the service but it would have been diplomatically complicated and I think the probable answer is that the service was stopped,but I would love to be proved wrong :)
This link seems to hint that the service was stopped but of course it was all shrouded in great secrecy and it was obviously politically sensetive for the Eire government

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=18&ved=0CDMQFjAHOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.skynet.ie%2F~dan%2Fwar%2Ffoyn es.htm&rct=j&q=boeing+clipper+foynes&ei=o40cTL6jH5L00gSPobirDQ&usg=AFQjCNHbX0PE1XY9puFgvzI7IGg833ZMPQ

I will be going back there,i am afraid the weather was just too nice to 'waste' in a museum,you will understand why if i post some more pics in the general section :wink:

[bvs]

Thanks Richard
I 'forgot' to pack a hat LOL ...so I planned a route to take me right past the terminal buildings:twisted:
Great coffee and a 2007 transatlantic commemoration hat and I was on my way SW

rgds baz

[canberra]

Why on earth did I even ask the question about the clipper stopping at the start of the war? Air services werent stopped between the UK and Eire and Portugal. And of course there was the Moqsuito service between Leuchars and Sweden.

[bvs]

No it was a good question Canberra.
What little I have read about it gets very vague about the pre pearl period vis a vis foynes!
rgds baz

[penwith]

Following the outbreak of WWII, President Roosevelt barred flights to any airfield of the warring nations, thus preserving the neutrality of the US. Thus from 3 Sep 39 all PAA flights terminated at Foynes. The first flight to terminate at Foynes departed Port Washington on 3 Sep, arriving the following day. The aircraft involved was the American Clipper, FAM 18 flt no.:17. My sources suggest the last flight to Foynes departed the US on 30 Sep, and from Foynes to the US on 3 Oct 39, flt nos.: 25 and 26, flown by the Yankee Clipper. From then on PAA's North Atlantic service was between the US and Lisbon.
There is a very interesting article at http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?4702-Foynes-Flying-Boate-base-museum&p=47527#post47527
Of course Foynes continued to be used throughout the war by the ferry service, BOAC, and the American airline American Export Airlines. What I would like the answer to is how was the mail forwarded from Foynes to the UK.

[canberra]

The mail could have been flown to say Speke. I would have thought that it was more likely to have gone by rail to Dublin and then by ferry to Holyhead.