To provide additional mooring and servicing space, Scottish Aviation opened a facility at Largs Bay for the servicing of Catalinas. A slipway was completed in September 1942 (and remains today) and the Esplanade in front of the Barrfields Theater (now Vikingar) was used as the base. By the summer of 1944, as many as eighteen Catalina’s, two Coronados and two Mariners could be seen moored in the bay. During September, sixty Catalina’s were in transit through Largs, en route fron San Diego, California, to Murmansk, Russia. A further fifteen followed in August and September 1945. By the end of the war, Largs had serviced more than 300 PBY Catalina’s for the RAF.
From August 1943 twenty-seven twin engine Martin Mariner flying boats were delivered to Largs. Six on these were flown by No.524 Squadron, RAF from Oban, but they were not a success and were returned to the US in 1944. During the summers of 1944 and 1945, regular four-engine Consolidated PB2Y-3B Coronado flying-boat services, carrying passengers and mail were flown by No.231 Squadron RAF, from Montreal / Boucherville, via Gander Lake, terminating their transatlantic crossing at Largs. West bound services were routed via Iceland, for a re-fueling stop. Twenty-three return flights were made in 1944 and from May 1945 two return flights were made each week to the end of September, for a total of 169 crossings. In March 1946, at least four Coronado’s were scuttled off the island of Little Cumbrae.
‘Prestwick Airport & Scottish Aviation’ – Peter Berry MRaes.
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