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Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft
Corporation, Burbank, California.
Crew: Four (two pilots,
navigator/bomber and gunner)
Type: Light Bomber, Maritime
reconnaissance and troop transport.
Power Plant: Two 1200 hp Pratt &
Whitney R-183-92 Twin Wasp
Dimensions: Wing span 65'6"; Length
44'4"; Wing Area 551 sq ft.
Weight: 12,825 lbs (max), Gross
21,000 ft; Range 2800 miles
Armament: Five 0.3" guns; 1,600 lb
bomb load.
History: The Model 214 was developed
in 1938 from the Lockheed 14
transport to meet RAF requirements
and designated as the Hudson I. It
was first flown on December 10, 1938
and served as a coastal
reconnaissance bomber with the RAF.
Between December of 1938 and May
1943 a total of 2,941 Hudsons came
off Lockheed Aircraft Corporation's
production lines.
The Hudson served with distinction
during WWII, and was the first
aircraft to partake in the RAF Ferry
Command - completing transatlantic
hops in bombers for the first time,
with good success. The first
deliveries were a formation flight
on November 10, 1940 led by Captain
D.C.T. Bennett. The Hudson was used
by the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy,
Royal Canadian Air Force, United
States Air Force, as well as other
Armed Forces serving as bombers,
reconnaissance, torpedo and trainer
aircraft.
It was a big part of many war
achievements displaying its
versatility. Among these was a
Hudson being credited with shooting
down the first enemy aircraft on
October 8, 1939 while operating from
England. The Hudson provided
valuable air coverage for the
evacuation of British Forces from
Dunkirk in June of 1940. In August
of 1941 a Hudson attacked an enemy
submarine (U-570), forcing it to
surrender - this was the only known
case. Along with various bombing
missions, this made the Hudson a
crucial aircraft for the forces
which had their services.
Our Hudson: A Model Hudson IIIA
(A-29). During the Canadian
Centennial Year (1967), a group of
volunteers at Gander decided to
erect a monument to the crews of the
Royal Air Force Ferry Command who
were so vital to the Allied success.
A Hudson bomber located at Field
Aviation in Toronto was donated to
Gander. The acquisition of this
coveted Hudson was largely due to
the work of A.J. Lewington, Les
Gettel, Jack James and particularly
Marsh Jones of EPA for flying the
Hudson to Gander on May 17, 1967.
The aircraft had previously been
owned by Kenting Airlines.
Once in Gander the Hudson was
mounted on a pedestal near the
airport. In 1990, volunteers at
Gander's 103 Rescue Unit refurbished
the BW769 and painted it as T9422 to
commemorate the historic flight of
D.C.T. Bennett of 1940. |