Dates

Event

1943

Constructed as a Sunderland III.

Taken on Strength/Charge with the Royal Air Force with s/n JM715.

Circa April 1945

Converted to a Sunderland V.
Flown to Scottish Aviations Flying Boat Modification Unit, Cairds Yard, Greenock for conversion to Mk V.

30 April 1947

Converted to a Sandringham 4.
New construction number, SH.55C, assigned to the airframe.
Transferred to Short Bros and Harland, Belfast for conversion to Sandringham Mk IV Tasman Class.

Circa May 1947

To British Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.

29 May 1947

Assigned civil registration: ZK-AMH
Entered onto the New Zealand Aircraft Register.

From 15 October 1947 to 29 October 1947

Ferry flight.
Route: Marseilles - Augusta (Sicily) - Cairo - Bahrein - Karachi - Calcutta - Rangoon - Bangkok - Singapore - Sourabaya - Darwin - Bowen - Sydney - Auckland.

29 October 1947

Leased to Tasman Empire Airways Ltd, Waitemata Harbour, Aukland, New Zealand.
Named RMA Auckland.

16 December 1949

Withdrawn from use.
Stored at Hobsonville, Auckland.

1950

To Barrier Reef Airlines, Australia with new c/r VH-BRC.
Named *Coral Clipper*.

15 December 1952

To Ansett Flying Boat Services keeping c/r VH-BRC.
Named *Beachcomber*.

Circa 1966

Photographer: William Wordsworth
Notes: Departing Lord Howe Island (LDH). Aircraft is carrying the *Airlines of New South Wales* livery of the time.

November 1972

Photographer: Geoff Goodall
Notes: Sandringham VH-BRC slowly moves to the mooring buoy on Lake Eucumbene, south of Sydney in November 1972. This large lake in the Snowy Mountains was the destination of an Aviation Historical Society of Australia charter from Sydney.VH-BRC was a Sandringham 4, previously TEAL ZK-AMH and originally RAF Sunderland III JM715

10 September 1974

To Antilles Air Boats, Inc (Virgin Islands) keeping c/r VH-BRC.
Named *Southern Cross*.

28 November 1974

Assigned civil registration: N158C

From 28 November 1974 to 9 December 1974

Ferry flight.
Route: Sydney (Rose Bay) - Pago Pago - Honolulu (Pearl Harbour) - San Francisco - Fort Worth (Texas) - Boston - St Croix.

Circa March 1976

Assigned civil registration: VP-LVE

From 6 July 1976 to 26 August 1976

Brief visits to Britain for pleasure flying at Poole and Calshot near Southhampton.

From Circa August 1977 to 9 September 1977

Loaned to Aer Arann, Ireland.
Charted by Aer Arann, Ireland to conduct sight-seeing flights from Lough Derg.

12 June 1978

Certificate of airworthiness for N158C (S-25 SANDRINGHAM, JM-715) issued.

17 June 1978

To Antilles Air Boats, Christansted, British Virgin Islands keeping c/r VP-LVE.

5 September 1980

To Ronald N. Gillies, Corazon, PR with new c/r N158C.

1981

To Sandringham Society, Calshot.

1981

Restored.

1981

To Science Museum.

To Solent Sky, Southampton, Southampton, England.
View the Location Dossier

1983

Restoration started.
The work was carried out by 424 (Southhampton) Squadron Air Training Corps.

1984

Placed on display in the Southhampton Hall of Aviation.

September 1996

Photographer: Brandon Kunicki
Notes: Photographed at the Southhampton Hall of Aviation in the UK.

1 January 2012

Certificate of airworthiness for N158C (S-25 SANDRINGHAM, JM-715) issued.

12 January 2012

Photographer: Terry Fletcher
Notes: Short Sandringham IV at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton in the UK

12 January 2012

Photographer: Terry Fletcher
Notes: Short Sandringham IV at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton in the UK

12 January 2012

Photographer: Terry Fletcher
Notes: Interior view of passenger access to the Short Sandringham IV at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton in the UK

12 January 2012

Photographer: Terry Fletcher
Notes: Short Sandringham IV at the Solent Sky Museum in Southampton in the UK

31 January 2013

Civil registration, N158C, cancelled.

Photographer: Unknown