Avro Lincoln Sciff Transport

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P

peteravia

Airman
11
9
Nov 23, 2015
Here you see an Avro Lincoln (RE409) with open bomb bays at the Hamburg-Fuhlsbuettel Airport in the early fifties The Lincoln was used to ferry the sciff of the British sculler and world champion Sidney Rand from the UK to Hamburg in order to participate at a Hamburg Rowing Regatta. Does anybody know more about it?
 
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There I was trying to work out what "SCIFF" was (something along the lines of 'very important person'?) and I realised I think that you mean "skiff"? i.e a small boat? So presumably ferried in the bomb bay if that's correct?
 
Thanks. You are correct. Reference is made to the skiff of Sidney Rand. It is a racing single scull, often simply called a single or a skiff, a narrow, lightweight rowing boat designed for one rower. It is used in competitive rowing and is one of the fastest and most technically demanding boat classes in the sport.

As a matter of fact, this special Lincoln was sold to Argentinia on December 18, 1947 and crashed near Chaján on 5.5.1961.
 
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I'm just trying to understand the time line, and may have gotten myself horribly confused! So RE409 was sold to Argentina in 1947, then was used in the early 1950s to transport a British rowing boat from the UK to Germany (and what about the return of the boat?), then going to Argentina before crashing in 1961.

Any thoughts on why a plane from Argentina was used to transport the boat - perhaps it was already in the area for some reason, or (even though sold in 1947) hadn't yet made its way to Argentina. Weren't there any British transports available (eg Bristol Freighter)?
 
Got my knickers in a twist. Firstly the Lincoln in the pic is RE405, not RE409. (RE409 WAS sold to Argentina in 1947, but RE405 was NOT))
 
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C ccwilber :
There is now on my side some confusion due to the RE409 data I provided. Fact is, that I took the photograph at the German Airport Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel around the mid fifties. My age was in 1955 19 years, that of Sidney Rand 21. He began his rowing career in 1952 and he must have been in Hamburg around 1955. His skiff was transported in the pictured Lincoln - for sure! The only unclear thing is why this Lincoln wasn't in Argentina. I researched her whereabouts on the internet: Argentina Air Force.
I will try to check the Lincoln RE409 fate with the Royal Air Force historian - hopefully I will find a PoC.
C ccwilber , thanks again for your coment.
 
The Lincoln in the photo is RE405, (not RF409 or RE409, which was sold to Argentina in 1947). The fate of RF409 is at present uncertain but it wasn't one of those sold to Argentina. Somebody else, as well as me, got confused between RE405, RF405, RF409 and RE409.
 
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