If It Can Fly, It Can Float!!!

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Aichi M6A1 Seiran
Aichi chief engineer, Toshio Ozaki, designed the M6A1 Seiran to fulfill the requirement for a bomber that could operate exclusively from a submarine. Japanese war planners devised the idea as a means for striking directly at the United States mainland and other important strategic targets, like the Panama Canal, that lay thousands of kilometers from Japan. To support Seiran operations, the Japanese developed a fleet of submarine aircraft carriers to bring the aircraft within striking distance. No Seiran ever saw combat, but the Seiran/submarine weapons system represents an ingenious blend of aviation and marine technology.

This M6A1 was the last airframe built (serial number 28) and the only surviving example of the Seiran in the world. Imperial Japanese Navy Lt. Kazuo Akatsuka ferried this Seiran from Fukuyama to Yokosuka where he surrendered it to an American occupation contingent.

Aichi M6A1 Seiran (Clear Sky Storm)
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Imperial Airways' Cambria, one of the British company's trans-Atlantic Empire class "flying boats," paid a goodwill visit to Toronto. This unique 88-foot long, 18-tonne aircraft had just performed a flypast over our city and was preparing to land in front of the crowds lining the CNE waterfront, when something went wrong. According to the accident investigators, a large partially-submerged log punched a hole in one of the aircraft's pontoons and this, in combination with a sudden stiff crosswind, caused Cambria to swerve and almost sink. Thanks to swift work by her crew and the crew of the Toronto Harbour Commission's tug, Ned Hanlan, patrolling the area nearby, they were able to balance Cambria while she was towed to the commission's drydock. Necessary repairs were made and several weeks later, Cambria continued her flying tour of the province.

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