The Tofino wreck is RCAF Canso A 11007. The PBY-5A that was scuttled in the Infernillo Reservoir whilst drug running was N5583V and this occurred on 19/3/1974. To the best of my knowledge, it is still there. Mention of Lake Mead reminds me that there is a sunken PBY wreck there – this is a civilian US-regd Catalina that crashed many years ago and remains unidentified although it may be N67134. A diver recently lost his life whilst searching the site.

The wreck at Daru could well be PBY-5A VH-WWC which sank there on 26/4/1962 although I have the cause as ‘hitting an object on water’. I would be interested to know more about the scam theory – is it an urban myth?

There are numerous high ground and under-water PBY wrecks – some from crashes and, in the latter case, some from deliberate scuttling.