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Catalina PBY damaged during filming destroyed during recovery attempt
After four days of being half sunk and rocked by the surf on a sandbar near the Florida-Alabama state line, the Catalina PBY Flying boat was pulled from its resting place and towed out into deeper waters towards a salvage barge. An attempt to lift the aircraft aboard the barge via a crane caused the aircraft to crumple, destroying it totally. (foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com) Plus d'info...
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That is sad news. I wonder if we will hear what actually happened.
I'd guess they tried to lift it without completely removing the water and collapsed the structure. I don't think this Humpty Dumpty will be in one piece ever again. Bummer! It had the odd beauty of something perfectly suited to its task. Kinda like the Hog.
So, bright-as-a-bag-o-hammers salvage inc got the low bid?
I'd say the results might bear out your assessment. At any rate, judging from their equipment, heavy lifting was their specialty, not aircraft salvage. The heavy lifting without the finesse turned this thing into an aluminum pretzel. To be fair, sea state probably played a role and it was a delicate task to begin with.
