A18-10 Short S-23 Empire Boat

G-ADUT. Short S-23 'C' Class Empire Flying Boat. c/n S.811.

Was also registered as: A18-10.

This was the third Empire boat to be completed and flown by Short Bros at Rochester, Kent

The order was placed by Imperial Airways, London - January 24, 1935

The official written order shows the cost of the aircraft at UKL 37,800 - February 19, 1935

Converted to present day values this would be approximately UKL 3,417,876

Built as an S.23 Empire Class Mk.II flying boat having 920 h.p. Bristol Pegasus Xc poppet-valve radial engines

It was fitted with the 'Type 1C' fuel system - consisting of two fuel tanks of 326 gallons and two tanks of

179 gallons each, mounted within the wing structure, for a total of 1,010 gallons

This provided a flight duration of approximately 7 hours 30 minutes

It was often referred to as having 'Bermuda Boat Tankage' but it is not clear how this fuel system type differed from the

'Type 1A' system that was fitted to G-ADUU, as it was the only 'C' Class boat operated on the Bermuda Route

Its range in still air was 1,078 nm (2,000 km) or against a 35kt headwind the range was 814 nm (1,510 km)

It had an all-up weight of 40,500 lb

Entered onto the British Aircraft Register as G-ADUT (CofR 6374) - October 07, 1935

Registered to Imperial Airways Ltd, Victoria Station, London

It was allocated a 'Fleet Number' (No. 3) which was used in all operational records to identify the aircraft

Launched on the Medway River at Rochester - October 26, 1936

The aircraft was named 'Centaurus'

First flown (Short Brothers Chief Test Pilot John Lankester Parker) at Rochester - November 18, 1936

Certificate of Airworthiness (CofA No. 5698) Issued - November 28, 1936

Accepted by Imperial Airways at Hythe - December 07, 1936

Operated its first service Hythe - Alexandria as Flight IE505X - December 13, 1936

Imperial Airways and the Air Ministry began formulating plans for a long survey flight from Hythe to Australia

and New Zealand - December 31, 1936

The initial plan called for the aircraft to fly from New Zealand to Fiji, through the Pacific Islands to Honolulu,

thence Wake Island, Midway Island, Guam, Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore and then return to the United Kingdom

It was suggested the either G-ADHM 'Caledonia' or G-ADUV 'Cambria' be utilised on this project, but this changed

in 1937 when both of these aircraft were nominated to operated the 'Trans-Atlantic' survey routes

'Centaurus' was then selected for the 'Australia - New Zealand' survey flight as it was the next suitable aircraft

It was fitted with extra fuel tanks to ensure sufficient fuel could be carried for the Sydney - Auckland sector

Departed Hythe on the survey flight to Australia - New Zealand - December 03, 1937

Flight crew: Capt. J. W. Burgess; F/O C. F. Elder

Survey route: Hythe - Sydney - Auckland - Wellington - Christchurch - Dunedin - Wellington - Auckland - Sydney -

Melbourne - Adelaide - Hobart - Sydney

Departed Sydney (Rose Bay) on the return flight to the United Kingdom - February ?, 1938

It arrived at Hythe having successfully completed the survey flight - February 23, 1938

Total hours flown on the survey flight - 237.29 hours

Total distance flown - 32,498 miles

Survey flight duration - 63 days

Cost of the survey flight - UKL 8,600 (the equivalent of UKL 600,938 in today - 2023 - currency)

This aircraft was part of the aircraft pool operated by Imperial Airways and Qantas Empire Airways

on services between Southampton, England and Sydney, Australia

Qantas Empire Airways crews flew the aircraft on the Sydney - Singapore - Sydney sector of this route

between July 1938 and October 15, 1941

It departed Southampton on its regular service to Australia as Flight SE167 - August 19, 1939

World War II was declared - September 01, 1939

Commandeered by the Australian Government on arrival at Sydney (Rose Bay) - September 13, 1939

Cancelled from the British Aircraft Register - September 22, 1939

Impressed by the Royal Australian Air Force as 'A18-10' - September 25, 1939

Allotted to No. 11 Squadron at its inception

Converted for general reconnaissance duties at Rose Bay, Sydney

It was fitted with a temporary dorsal gun position equipped with 0.303 machine guns

Departed Sydney (Rose Bay) on delivery to No 11 Squadron at Port Moresby, New Guinea - December 28, 1939

Carried out first reconnaissance flight out to 50 miles off Kerema in Gulf of Papua - December 29, 1939

Utilised for extensive general armed reconnaissance work in islands to north-east of New Guinea

Transferred to No 20 Squadron, Port Moresby - November 18, 1941

Used as the Transport Flight for the Squadron

Allotted to No 33 Squadron, Townsville, Queensland - February 02, 1942

Dispatched to evacuate personnel from Dutch East Indies - February 1942

Departed Broome on an S.A.R. flight for the Short S.23 G-AETZ 'Circe' - March 02, 1942

This aircraft was overdue on a flight from Tjilitjap, Nertherlands East Indies

The S.A.R. flight was aborted and 'Centaurus' returned to Broome

It was destoyed whilst moored in Broome Harbour when attcked by Japanese aircraft - March 03, 1942

Written off action approved - April 16, 1942

Estimated that 'Centaurus' had flown more than 8,000 hours at the time of its loss

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Rochester, October 28, 1936.

(P. Sheehan Collection Copyright Image 2545-976.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, date unknown.

(Qantas Heritage Collection Copyright Image 2545-390.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Townsville, December 1937.

(Qantas Heritage Collection Copyright Image 2545-391.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at West Auckland, December 27, 1937.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-945.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Auckland Mechanics Bay, December 28, 1937.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-946.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Auckland Mechanics Bay, December 28, 1937.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-947.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Wellington Evans Bay, December 31, 1937.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-948.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Wellington Evans Bay, December 31, 1937.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-949.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Christchurch Lyttleton Harbour, January 01, 1938.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-950.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Christchurch Lyttleton Harbour, January 01, 1938.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-951.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Wellington Evans Bay, January 03, 1938.

(Whites Aviation Copyright Image 2545-952.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at an unknown location, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 2545-250.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 2545-261.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 2545-262.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, June 1938.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 2545-251.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at an unknown location, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 2545-389.)

G-ADUT. Imperial Airways London - 'Centaurus' in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, date unknown.

(Qantas Heritage Collection Copyright Image 2545-392.)

A18-10. Royal Australian Air Force - in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, September 1939.

(Qantas Heritage Collection Copyright Image 2545-662.)

A18-10. Royal Australian Air Force - in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, September 1939.

(Qantas Heritage Collection Copyright Image 2545-380.)

A18-10. Royal Australian Air Force - in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, September 1939.

(Qantas Heritage Collection Copyright Image 2545-252.)

A18-10. Royal Australian Air Force - in the standard livery at Sydney Rose Bay, September 1939.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 2545-254.)

A18-10. Royal Australian Air Force - in the standard livery at an unknown location, date unknown.