ADF Serials - Mariner

RAAF.Serial	USN Bu Number	C/N	Aircraft History
A70-1	Bu.6512	2965	Departed Norfolk 06/11/43. At San Diego 08/11/43. Departed Alameda 09/11/43. Arrived 20/11/43, callsign VHCPA. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 20/11/43. To 1 FBRD 23/11/43. To 41 Sqn 21/12/44. To 1 FBRD 06/05/45. Withdrawn from use 6/05/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal 19/11/46. To DAP 18/12/47. Disposal completed by DAP 25/03/48.
A70-2	Bu.6528	2981	Departed Norfolk 06/11/43. At San Diego 08/11/43. Departed Alameda 18/11/43. Arrived 26/11/43, callsign VHCPB. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 1 FBRD 26/11/43. To 41 Sqn 25/02/44. Attached to 3OTU 27/02/44. To 1 FBMU 09/04/44. To 41 Sqn 15/05/44. Damaged 05/07/45. To 1 FBRD 18/07/45. Withdrawn from use 18/07/45 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Passed to DAP 19/11/46. Authorised for write off 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48.
A70-3	Bu.6546	2999	Departed Norfolk 09/11/43. Departed Alameda 20/11/43. Arrived 09/12/43, callsign VHCPC. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 1 FBRD 09/12/43. To 41 Sqn 27/03/44. Aircraft involved in taxying accident in 1944. To 40 Sqn 05/08/45. To 1 FBRD 25/02/46. Withdrawn from use 12/03/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48.
A70-4	Bu.6549	3002	Departed Norfolk 08/11/43. At San Diego 10/11/43. Departed Alameda 18/11/43. Arrived 26/11/43, callsign VHCPD. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 26/11/43. To 1 FBRD 29/11/43. To 41 Sqn 02/03/44. Hull damaged 11/04/44. To 1 FBRD 19/04/44. To 41 Sqn 26/07/44. To 40 Sqn 22/07/45. To 1 FBRD 18/08/45. Withdrawn from use 18/03/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48.
A70-5	Bu.6566	3019	Departed Norfolk 10/11/43. At San Diego 12/11/43. Departed Alameda 20/11/43. Arrived 26/11/43, callsign VHCPE. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 26/11/43. To 1 FBRD 28/11/43. To 41 Sqn 11/02/44. Attached to 3OTU 12/02/44. Aircraft in Cairns 02/07/44. To 1FBRMU 18/07/44. To 41 Sqn 19/07/44. To 1FBMU 28/08/44. To 41 Sqn 09/09/44. To 1 FBRD 19/02/45. To 40 Sqn 24/09/45. To 1 FBRD Store 27/02/46. Withdrawn from use 22/03/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48.
A70-6	Bu.6526	2979	Departed Norfolk 10/11/43. At San Diego 12/11/43. Departed Alameda 20/11/43. Arrived 26/11/43, callsign VHCPF. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 26/11/43. Attached to 3OTU 16/12/43. To 41 Sqn 23/05/44. Port engine caught fire 16/08/44. To 1 FBRD 13/04/45. To 114 ASRF 24/08/45. To 40 Sqn 13/12/45. To 1 FBRD 07/01/46. Withdrawn from use 22/03/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48. We believe Tim Barlow's father purchased it as war surplus from Lake Boga, had the wings and engines removed, engines placed inside the fuselage, wings tied to the sides of the fuselage and towed backwards from Boga to Gunbower, Vic. Apparently it was that tall a man had to walk along the top of the fuselage and use a special pole to lift the power lines over the aircraft! It was then used to store bagged grain feed in, being mouse proof and the wings split along the leading and trailing edges and used for roof's on the pigstyes. It was later cut up for scrap. We have an image provided by Tim and are attempting to positively identify the aircraft as A70-6.
A70-7	Bu.6506	2959	Departed Norfolk 10/11/43. At San Diego 17/11/43. Departed Alameda 21/11/43. Arrived 26/11/43, callsign VHCPG. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 1 FBRD 26/11/43. To 41 Sqn 06/04/44. Port engine failed and caused a forced landing. To 111 ASRF 05/08/45. To 1 FBMU for complete overhaul 01/10/45. To 114ASRF 05/11/45. Withdrawn from use 01/04/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48
A70-8	Bu.6565	3018	Departed Norfolk 16/12/43. Departed Alameda 23/12/43. Arrived 28/12/43, callsign VHCPH. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 28/12/43. To 1 FBRD 31/12/43. To 41 Sqn 21/06/44. Aircraft arrived in Cairns 02/07/44. To 1FBMU 19/07/44. To 41 Sqn 23/07/44. To 1 FBMU 24/10/44. To 41 Sqn 27/10/44. To 114ASRF 03/08/45. Withdrawn from use 16/04/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP and sold to John Leed 25/03/48, After removing the tail, engines and outer wings it was towed to Leed's Property and was named Pyramid Hill and painted in a different colour scheme. In this form it traveled as a caravan through Western Australia. Later it was donated to the Aviation Museum of Western Australia, who restored the cockpit and put it on display as the only remains of this aircraft. Was located between hangers at the RAAF Association Museum at Bull Creek. it has 'Ancient Mariner' painted on the left side. Its condition had deteriorated to the stage that the decision was made to de-accession and scrap it. Update from Jon Wright (09/01/2019): "I did a survey of this "Mariner" back in about 2001 when I was working at the RAAFA museum in Bull Creek. Sadly there was very little of the original airframe left. Even much of the external skin was replacement sheet metal. I had an idea of doing something similar to the Darwin Aviation Museums Liberator fuselage, Remove everything that's not part of the original aircraft, place on a mobile stand and lining the inside with photos, allowing visitor to walk through/under it. With the space restrictions at Bull Creek, even that was never really viable."
A70-9	Bu.6575	3028	Departed Norfolk 16/12/43. Departed Alameda 23/12/43. Arrived 06/01/44, callsign VHCPI. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 06/01/44. To 1 FBRD 07/01/44. To 41 Sqn 13/10/44. Hull holed on 10/03/45 while taxying after landing. To 40 Sqn 26/07/45. To 1 FBRD 20/09/45. Withdrawn from use 12/06/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48.
(A70-10)	Bu.6505	2958	Nov 1943 BuNo 6505 was originally intended to become A70-10, however, this airframe was found to have hull damage. 13/12/1943 Bu 6505 was returned to USN Atlantic Fleet stocks, while same date, Bu 6622 was allocated to the RAAF instead and become A70-10.
A70-10	Bu.6522	2975	13/12/1943 Allotted for RAAF as A70-10 replacing BuNo 6505 which had ben rejected due to hull damage. Departed Norfolk 24/12/43. Departed Alameda 02/01/44. Arrived 16/01/44, callsign VHCPJ. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 16/01/44. To 1 FBRD 17/01/44. To 41 Sqn 12/03/44. To 1 FBMU 10/07/44. To 41 Sqn 17/07/44. Engine failed in flight on 17/01/45. To 40 Sqn 29/07/45. To 1 FBRD 07/01/46. Withdrawn from use 07/05/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48.
A70-11	Bu.6664	3117	Departed Norfolk 14/12/43. Departed Alameda 22/12/43. Arrived 28/12/44, callsign VHCPK. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 28/12/43. To 1 FBRD 30/12/44. To 41 Sqn 30/01/44. Detached to 3OTU 30/01/44. To 1 FBMU 13/02/44. To 1 FBRD 10/05/44 for complete overhaul. To 41 Sqn 25/09/44. To 114ASRF 03/08/45. To 1 FBRD 14/08/45. To 40 Sqn 05/11/45. Withdrawn from use 27/02/46 and stored at CMU Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48
A70-12	Bu.6538	2991	Departed Norfolk 14/12/43. Departed Alameda 22/12/43. Arrived 28/12/44, callsign VHCPL. Last letter of the construction number as an ID on the fuselage. To 2 FBRD 28/12/43. To 1 FBRD 30/12/44. To 41 Sqn 13/02/44. Detached to 3OTU 30/02/44. To 1 FBMU 18/02/44. To 41 Sqn 27/02/44. Flown a total of 781 hours as of 21/03/44. Aircraft in Cairns 02/07/44. Aircraft holed below the water line on 25/11/44 at Port Moresby PNG. To 114 ASRF 03/08/45. To 1 FBMU 31/08/45. To 114 ASRF 01/10/45. To 40 Sqn 17/12/45. To 1 FBRD 01/02/46. Withdrawn from use 01/02/46 and stored at Lake Boga. Offered for disposal. Authorised for write off 19/11/46. Passed to DAP 18/12/47. Disposed of by DAP 25/03/48. There is a flight deck of a Mariner at Ballarat, we believe it is of A70-12. There is an aft fuselage section clearly marked as A70-12 at Goolwa airfield in South Australia.