VH-BRC  Short S25V Sandringham 4           (c/n  SH.55C)

                           

                               The Short Sandringham was a Sunderland Coastal Command patrol aircraft refurbished to full airline
                               standard.   In fact, it had the same Shorts type number.   VH-BRC had originally been converted for
                               Tasman Empire Airlines (TEAL) and delivered to New Zealand as ZK-AMH.   It was acquired by
                               Barrier Reef Airways when TEAL upgraded to Short Solents, and then passed to Ansett Flying Boat
                               Services in 1952, who named it "Beachcomber".   It went on to the US registry in 1974 as N158C
                               and wound up in Puerto Rico.  Its current status is unknown.   Appended below are two more shots
                               of this old bird.  One shows it on the Brisbane River shortly after coming onto the Australian civil reg-
                               ister, and the lower image, from the G.Wilkes collection (via Fred Niven) was taken in 1972 as the
                               aircraft was taking off from Lake Macquarie.