1943 PBY 5A Catalina Canso
While operating with the 10th Rescue Squadron in 1947 at Elmendorf Air Force Base, the AAHM Catalina landed at Dago Lake on the Alaska Peninsula. It was an emergency landing caused by engine failure. Declared government surplus, it was purchased by the R.S. Richards family, stripped of parts and left at Dago Lake until 1984. A gigantic recovery project conducted by the National Guard and the AAHM volunteers finally brought the huge amphibian to the museum utilizing two Alaska helicopter operations in 1984 & 1987. This operation was captured in a film called "The Queen of Dago Lake" and it is on sale in our gift shop.
