By J. Davis, EAA 588164, Tofino, Vancouver, British Columbia
Some History
At 2300 on the night of February 10, 1945, a Royal Canadian Air Force Consolidated PBV-1A* Catalina serial No. 11007, also known as the Canso, took off from RCAF Tofino on a routine exercise flight. The flying boat, modified for anti-submarine ops, was loaded with 12 crew, four 4,100-kilogram depth charges, and 3,400 litres of fuel. Shortly after becoming airborne, the port engine failed, and the aircraft descended at 300 meters per minute into the dense bush on a hillside not far from Tofino.
The 20-year-old pilot, Flying Officer Ronnie Scholes, is credited with outstanding pilotage, stalling his aircraft into the forest canopy, resulting in nothing more than minor injury to anyone aboard. The three uninjured crew members extinguished the fire in the port engine, constructed a shelter from parachutes, and spent the night near the crash site. After sending up flares to identify their position, they were rescued the following day. Crew member Pilot Officer Clarence Sartorius, now in his early 90s, is the only living survivor.
The Hike
The wreckage was never removed, and to this day serves as a ghostly reminder of that day in 1945. The site is about a 2-kilometer hike into the bush on well-marked trails. Starting at the 15th telephone pole south of Radar Hill on Route 4, a well-groomed climbing path first leads to a graffiti-covered abandoned building believed to have been a communication shack.
From here the trail becomes increasingly difficult, although well marked by ribbons tied to tree branches. As it gradually descends into a large bog, it gets wetter and muddier. Some visitors have reported getting stuck in thigh-high mud, but we were there in June and the trail was relatively dry. In some of the muddier places, people had laid rough-sawed cedar planks to help traverse the swamp.
After about 45 minutes of rather difficult hiking, one comes to the first indication of the actual crash site: a pond that was formed when the depth charges were intentionally detonated, forming a deep crater.
Shortly thereafter, bits of wreckage begin to appear.
And then the empennage of the abandoned wreck peeks out of the forest.
At last we’ve reached the site. The starboard engine came to rest not far from the fuselage.
Time to head back. Whew! Great hike. Nap time!
*PBV is the designation for PBYs built by Vickers under licence.
