These may be sub contractor inspection stamps : it is hard to pursue this logic without understanding what the parts are, but it is reasonable to assume that large quantities of parts were manufactured and internally approved by large numbers of sub contractors, ranging in size from small family businesses to large concerns, then supplied to the final assembly plant. A good example of this are the Bendix wheels that feature on many US aircraft of the era, radially arranged around the spokes are cast in numbers and contractor inspection stamps for casting, heat treatment, machining and assembly.

Thousands of subcontractors were drawn into supplying the war machine and the documentation of these hurried arrangements is limited and opaque. Sometimes the abbreviations on the stamp can be readily matched with a company name. Somebody more familiar with the Catalina story may be able to make some connections with the abbreviations. Some of the stamps refer to overhaul records and maintenance workshops.
“$” is a great stamp. I think this was some toothless old mechanic in a shed somewhere in California who overhauled milking machines and the odd Navy aircraft fuel pump for the son in law quartermaster at the local base.

Hiya,
I think you’re right about subcontractors – I haven’t been able to match any of these stamps to either Consolidated or Boeing, or any other major aircraft manufacturer. None of them seem to match the subcontractors listed for various Cat parts though, so I am completely stumped.
I do like your interpretation of the $ stamp though! Sounds pretty spot on 🙂

Hi Mark,
Yes, absolutely 🙂 Ray Thorold-Smith’s aircraft was identified in the 1980s in the western reaches of Darwin Harbour; the area we’re working in is on the other side, along East Arm. That’s one of the main reason we’re here, to make sure no wreck sites are disturbed or damaged. The aircraft parts we’ve been finding in this particular area were all part of a discrete cluster of what look like spare parts discarded in a pile – many of them show puncture marks & axe marks from what seems to be a common practise of rendering parts useless prior to discard so they could be struck off the Lend Lease bill & to ensure they weren’t recovered and reused.

Hi Ed,
I’m sorry I forgot to put in the bolt hole measurements in my last message.
The mounting flange is somewhat cracked & bent with only three bolt holes remaining intact or close to intact, so the measurements may not be 100% accurate I’m afraid. [and I measured in mm so please bear with me….] I got 11 mm for the diameter of the holes, pretty close to 15/32″; distance between holes on the short side was an estimate due to missing corners – I got ca. 100 mm / 3 15/16″; and the distance between holes on the long side was ca. 110 mm centre to centre of hole or ca. 99 mm edge to edge of hole, so kind of flanking the 4 1/16″ measurement.
I’m also not sure if it is a six bolt hole flange; the centre of one long side is severely cracked when the hole would’ve been but I’m not certain I can see evidence of said hole – were there 5 bolt hole flanges?
Thank you for looking for the Stromberg book. Dogs do have a habit of eating things like that I find! 🙂
Thanks again for your help 🙂

Hi ericmunk, thank you – that’s sounding very promising. Especially so as now I’ve found several records of Lockheed Hudsons crashing or being wrecked up here during the War.
Thank you 🙂

Hiya Bager1968, thank you for your reply. That definitely sounds like a good possibility looking into aircraft fleeing the Japanese invasion and moving south; three of the USN Cats that were wrecked here actually ended up in Darwin Harbour for that very reason! I’ll see what I can find. The earlier dates you mention re. the Douglas 0-46 also sound interesting – I have a feeling this carb might have been an early version component.
Thanks again for your help 🙂

Hi ericmunk, thanks so much for your reply.
Awesome – I’m looking through records of NT crashes at the moment so I’ll keep a look out for any Douglas O-46.
Thanks heaps 🙂

Daniel Craig,
Damn! I could use you in the field up here!
I noticed the melting and thought it was in a position where carbs usually burn, but I don’t know anywhere near enough to get so much information & insight out of it as you have. That’s amazing. Thank you so much. I have to ask – do you think there’s any way that such damage / burning could have occurred with an aircraft crash at sea? One of the biggest questions [other than what the hell is it], is determining whether it could be part of an in situ site or just part of the scatter of post-war discarded debris. Though the only recorded missing wrecks in the harbour are the Kittyhawk and a A6M Zero, you never know.
I’ll start chasing up records of what aircraft were in use at the airbases up here and whether there were recorded crashes. Thank you very much for that suggestion 🙂
So you’ve experienced the wonderful Darwin mud? I’ve had to do that awful wade out to Cat 1 too! When were you last up here looking at Cats? The 6th missing one [USN] was finally found up here a couple of years ago and from what I’ve seen its in almost perfect condition.
The problem with the site where the carb was found is that it is in the middle of an area of sand waves; we’ve done magnetometer and gradiometer searches across the area a few times but with not a lot of success. This carb was a chance find that just popped up and getting access back out there is tricky – we’re doing all this as clearance work in association with the dredging for new shipping channels – so very tight timetables and access restrictions.
I’m actually from Melbourne – though I haven’t had a chance to dive down there yet & working on some unsurveyed aircraft wrecks sounds awesome! Think I’ll be wearing a cardy too though when I do get back down there; especially after spending so much time up here….
Thanks again for all your help 🙂