PHILLIP HAYES COLLECTION
No. 10514. Lockheed 18-07 Lodestar (G-AGCM c/n 2093) British Overseas Airways Corporation "Lake Mariut"
Photographed at Port Sudan, Sudan, April 25, 1945, from Douglas S. Hayes

Lockheed 18-07 Lodestar
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03/31/2011. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "The Model 18-07 Lodestar was powered by two 875 hp Pratt & Whitney Hornet S1E2-G nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. The pictured aircraft was one of two (NC33616 c/n 18-2092 and NC33617 c/n 18-2093) produced in 1940 for Catalina Air Transport of Long Beach, California.

On July 25, 1941 it was impressed by the USAAF as a C-56C with the serial 42-53503, and in September 1941 it was transferred to the RAF as a Lodestar Mk.I, and allotted the serial AX759. On the 29th of the same month the aircraft was registered to BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) as G-AGCM, and named Lake Mariut. Five years later, October 2, 1946, the registration was cancelled as the aircraft returned to the RAF under a new serial, VR955. It was withdrawn from use on April 30, 1947, its fate is unknown."

Remarks by Phillip Hayes: "My Father, Douglas S. Hayes, was a Wireless Operator, and flew in Vickers Wellington Mk.ICs with RAF No. 40 squadron 'B' flight. In 1944-1945 he was a Radio Operator with BOAC, stationed in Almaza, just 7 mls (11 km) from the center of Cairo, Egypt.

He flew on many of the regularly round flights along the Red Sea from Almaza to the British Colony of Aden (presently Yemen), 1,474 mls (2,372 km) to the south-east, via Luxor (Egypt), Port Sudan (Sudan), Asmara (Eritrea), and Kamaran Island (British Colony of Aden, presently Yemen).

Here are the details of such a 3,242 mls (5,218 km) long flight, this one in 1945 with G-AGCM, elapsing three-days and 19 hr 35 min flight time. The photo above was taken on the return trip during the stop at Port Sudan.


Created March 31, 2011