Catalina flying boat mystery solved in Darwin

THEY were lost defending Australia against the Japanese.

But it was our former enemy that yesterday solved a 60-year mystery by uncovering the last of six Catalina flying boats lost in Darwin harbour during World War II.

The final resting place of the last Catalina has eluded historians for decades. Yesterday, it was revealed that Japan's biggest resources company, gas giant Ipex, had found it while surveying the seabed as part of its plan to build a $12 billion liquefied natural gas plant in the harbour.

The planes were a vital part of Darwin's defence during the war, patrolling Australia's northern waters.

Northern Territory Heritage Minister Len Kiely said yesterday "an important part of the Territory's history" had been uncovered.

It was while researchers were making geophysical surveys before laying the pipelines that they found the plane. "This is an exciting find, the site of the last Catalina has been a mystery for over 60 years and now we have the last piece of the puzzle," Mr Kiely said.

None of the Catalina sites are war graves or heritage-listed, but Mr Kiely said it was important to know their exact position "so they can be properly managed during the construction of any pipelines".

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