Great Cumbrae slipways
GREAT CUMBRAE SLIPWAYS: Overflow flying boat base for LARGS
Note: The first two pictures were obtained from Google Earth ©. The local area and area views are from my Google Earth © derived database.
Operated by: Scottish Aviation
Location: On the NE corner of Great Cumbrae Island. Just SW of Largs town centre on the E side of the Largs Channel. About 11nm SSW of Greenock and roughly 25nm WSW of Glasgow city centre
Period of operation: WW2 only?
NOTES: Information about this location has, for this 'Guide', only recently been found, (in 2023). During WW2 the main reception base for Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina flying boats was GREENOCK in the Clyde estuary. These flying boats were essential for fighting the Battle of the Atlantic, and it was a very close thing indeed as the U-Boat menace was on the verge of winning - in effect forcing the British government to concede defeat.
It appears that in total the RAF were assigned 602 Catalinas, the RAF version being known at the PBY-6A. Many went to fight the war in theatres stretching far to the east. However, it seems probable that the majority, after being ferried across the Atlantic, ended up in this region of Scotland initially. As GREENOCK couldn't cope with such large numbers, an overflow base was set up at Largs, and in turn a secondary overflow base was established here.
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