17 replies to this topic

[Ratatat Katt]

[b]Hello, im new to the forum

My Name is Doug

Im the commodore of the LakeWorth Boat & Ski Club on Lake Worth.

We occupy property on the lake next door to the old boat works across from the old
casino beach area. During the early 1940s the military used the lake area at our property for storing the pby catalina seaplanes on their stop over. The airbase Convair was near by so they planes could recieve repairs and such because the base is on the shore of the lake.
Im trying to tie the seaplanes and the time frame to the property we now occupy. I have been told by some of our older members that the seaplanes were kept there on our shore, tied up in the bay in front of our area. Im doing a historical search and trying to establish that the property we now occupy has a historical value due to the military use of our area
during the World War II era. If you know of any information of this, id appreciate the help.

Thanks so much

[cbellomy]

Hi, Doug, welcome to the forum!

I have a book that has photos of seaplanes on Lake Worth from the WWII years, and it does seem sensible enough to me that they would tie them down in that cove by the club for the wind protection offered by Snake Island. I'll need to go look at them again to see if I can recognize that cove in the background. (I grew up on Lake Worth and used to "borrow" your slalom course occasionally. Don't worry, we weren't the ones running over your buoys!)

I'd have to leave it to the better informed to speculate whether there's any possibility of any sort of historical designation in connection with this.

If Ronnie Martin is still involved with the club in any way, tell him Greg Bellomy's little brother said hey.

[Ratatat Katt]

Hi, Doug, welcome to the forum!

I have a book that has photos of seaplanes on Lake Worth from the WWII years, and it does seem sensible enough to me that they would tie them down in that cove by the club for the wind protection offered by Snake Island. I'll need to go look at them again to see if I can recognize that cove in the background. (I grew up on Lake Worth and used to "borrow" your slalom course occasionally. Don't worry, we weren't the ones running over your buoys!)

I'd have to leave it to the better informed to speculate whether there's any possibility of any sort of historical designation in connection with this.

If Ronnie Martin is still involved with the club in any way, tell him Greg Bellomy's little brother said hey.

[pmburk]

Try this website:

http://www.airfields...irfields_TX.htm

[sonny 2]

[b]Hello, im new to the forum

My Name is Doug

Im the commodore of the LakeWorth Boat & Ski Club on Lake Worth.

We occupy property on the lake next door to the old boat works across from the old
casino beach area. During the early 1940s the military used the lake area at our property for storing the pby catalina seaplanes on their stop over. The airbase Convair was near by so they planes could recieve repairs and such because the base is on the shore of the lake.
Im trying to tie the seaplanes and the time frame to the property we now occupy. I have been told by some of our older members that the seaplanes were kept there on our shore, tied up in the bay in front of our area. Im doing a historical search and trying to establish that the property we now occupy has a historical value due to the military use of our area
during the World War II era. If you know of any information of this, id appreciate the help.

Thanks so much

I realize this entry was made a long time ago, and what I have to say will not answer Doug's question, but it reminded me of something long forgotten; around 1941 we lived on the old Barwise Ranch near where Eagle Mountain Lake is. I was a small child, and Dad would take me to the lake to watch the seaplanes take off and land. I cannot recall where we were, but I remember we were high above the docking area looking down upon it, from across the lake if I recall correctly.

[m lambert]

[b]Hello, im new to the forum

My Name is Doug

Im the commodore of the LakeWorth Boat & Ski Club on Lake Worth.

We occupy property on the lake next door to the old boat works across from the old
casino beach area. During the early 1940s the military used the lake area at our property for storing the pby catalina seaplanes on their stop over. The airbase Convair was near by so they planes could recieve repairs and such because the base is on the shore of the lake.
Im trying to tie the seaplanes and the time frame to the property we now occupy. I have been told by some of our older members that the seaplanes were kept there on our shore, tied up in the bay in front of our area. Im doing a historical search and trying to establish that the property we now occupy has a historical value due to the military use of our area
during the World War II era. If you know of any information of this, id appreciate the help.

The stop over for PB-Ys was over before the Bomber Plant was complee. It only lasted about 10 months.
Maurice Lambert

Thanks so much

I realize this entry was made a long time ago, and what I have to say will not answer Doug's question, but it reminded me of something long forgotten; around 1941 we lived on the old Barwise Ranch near where Eagle Mountain Lake is. I was a small child, and Dad would take me to the lake to watch the seaplanes take off and land. I cannot recall where we were, but I remember we were high above the docking area looking down upon it, from across the lake if I recall correctly.

[lisa_marie]

http://texashistory......?q=lake worth
See photo.

[cbellomy]

http://texashistory......?q=lake worth
See photo.

Great photo. This shot looks southwest from the approximate location of the Lake Worth Ski Club. Willow Island is in the foreground, Goat Island toward the back, the Sailing Club peninsula juts in from the right toward the tip of Goat Island. If the camera were pointed closer to due south, the Whiting Castle would come into frame on the opposite shore.

The remarkable thing to me is the size of the planes. They make the lake look tiny.

[empty]

I don’t have any information about the specific location of the landing ramps but I do remember a little of the story of how they came to be. Those flying boat ramps led directly to one of Fort Worth’s largest employers.

(This is from memory—but it probably came from somewhere on this website anyway.)

Consolidated Aircraft Co. had a contract with the Navy to build the flying boats. The PBYs were assembled in a plant in San Diego and had to be flown cross-country to Florida for delivery. Amon Carter (or some other Fort Worth civic leader) saw the potential for some positive PR for Cowtown—Carter contacted the president of Consolidated and explained that Fort Worth had a nice lake, perfect for landing PBYs—and if the aircraft company would commit to stopping in Fort Worth as they ferried their new planes to Florida, the city would build ramps to provide a good landing place. Consolidated agreed and city leaders got to work, buying land, getting concrete poured and so on (I think they got in done in two weeks). When the aircraft arrived, the city leaders ensured that the flight crews got the best of treatment.

Now, in the late 1930’s, as the wars began in Europe and Asia, the US government became concerned about the vulnerability of defense plants on the coasts; they declared that new plants should be built away from the coasts. Consolidated was planning a new plant, somewhere in the middle of the country—there were a couple of sites in Kansas considered most likely—I think that one Kansas site had actually been approved by the Army.

Amon Carter wanted the plant for Fort Worth, of course, and used the example of the can-do spirit from the rapid completion of the PBY landing facility, along with Fort Worth’s better winter weather, in his approach to the president of Consolidated—and it worked. Consolidated went back to the Army and asked that Fort Worth be considered. Apparently, as far as the Army was concerned, Fort Worth was fine, and the site selection was changed, and the Bomber Plant came to Fort Worth.

(The government's concern about the location of defense plants and the weather also brought Bell Helicopter here, but that's another story.)

[AndyN]

I see there is a PBY Catalina for sale.

[djold1]

Carter contacted the president of Consolidated and explained that Fort Worth had a nice lake, perfect for landing PBYs—and if the aircraft company would commit to stopping in Fort Worth as they ferried their new planes to Florida, the city would build ramps to provide a good landing place. Consolidated agreed and city leaders got to work, buying land, getting concrete poured and so on (I think they got in done in two weeks).

I don't think that this ever happened.

Or am I missing something?

I can't find the sources but I remember that I read somewhere that the PBY's were only at Lake Worth for a very short time having been sent there in teh late 1930's due to a bad weather spell on the Gulf Coast.

I am under the impression that there never was any formal base construction or operation.

I have also heard that the old Marine WWII air base (Now a Kenneth Copeland facility) was located on Eagle Mountain Lake because of the possibility that amphibious aircraft might be used there.

[AndyN]

What? I am confused. There is certainly a seaplane base there as I can see the ramp into the water across the lake from my property. Not sure I understand what you are disputing.

http://www.airfields..._FtWorth_NW.htm

As it was adjacent to a large lake, seaplane facilities at Eagle Mountain Lake were also constructed.
They were intended to serve as a ferry stop & service facility for seaplanes flying transcontinental routes,
as well as operating the intended amphibian gliders.
The seaplane operating area was built to the west of the airfield, along the shore of the lake.
It consisted of a concrete seaplane apron, 2 ramps leading down into the lake,
and several buildings, including its own control tower just for seaplane operations.

A taxiway connected the seaplane area to Runway 12 of the airfield.
At times, up to 120 seaplanes per month passed through the Eagle Mountain Lake base.

[djold1]

No dispute about the Eagle Mountain Lake ramp. That was just a tag-on thought at the end of my post.

However, the link you gave which I have seen many times..gives no mention of any kind of seaplane base on Lake Worth, which was the primary topic of the thread. I think if there had been, this would have been the place it would show up.
.
And the seaplane picture link explicitly says the aircraft are in refuge from a storm and does not talk about a permant base.

The picture shows no ramp big enough for a PBY. If they tried to use the boat ramp pictured, the wings would hit the trees alongside. Fueling those planes would have been a big job with lots of AvGas in the lake, I think.

I am not saying that there couldn't have been a fixed seaplane base there. What I am saying is that I have never seen any indication that there was, in publications or pictures. And it would have been a big deal if it had existed, I think.

As as I also said, I may have missed something. It happens all the time..

I would just like to see the source of the description..

[AndyN]

Of course, I did miss that we were talking about Lake Worth. And, actually, the article does mention seaplanes at Lake Worth:

Mervyn Roberts reported, “However, a transfer to the once-reticent City of Fort Worth was announced in July. By that time it was seen as a valuable windfall to the municipality & to aviation in the area. Plans called for transferring the city’s aircraft refueling equipment from Lake Worth in order to use Eagle Mountain as a cross-county refueling point for land-based aircraft & seaplanes.

During the war, Lake Worth was also frequently filled with transiting seaplanes. The city hoped that transferring operations to Eagle Mountain Lake Base would be more lucrative because of the runways, lake ramp & improved facilities.

[djold1]

OK. My bad. The article does say that. And I did overlook it. Now to find out where all the prewar and wartime info about this Lake Worth base is. The article you quote implies there were few facilities on the lake and maybe no ramp. I realize thst wartime secrecy was a possible factor.

But the information has to exist somewhere.

[m lambert]

OK. My bad. The article does say that. And I did overlook it. Now to find out where all the prewar and wartime info about this Lake Worth base is. The article you quote implies there were few facilities on the lake and maybe no ramp. I realize thst wartime secrecy was a possible factor.

But the information has to exist somewhere.

[m lambert]

I will be glad to send you all the information and photos of the PBY stop over on Lake Worth in 1940. Send me a reques at mgljcl@flash.net. I would have printed it here, but could not copy it.

Maurice G. Lambert
Fort Worth Historin.

[WestSide44]

Well, I'm a bit late to this party but stumbled across this thread and was interested. I grew up on Lake Worth, the south side, in the '50's and occasionally saw a PBY land and take off but always on the far north side of the lake Casino Beach. The photo had me really confused because I assumed the anchorage would have been close to the foot of the Ft. Worth Army Air Base (Carswell AFB) runway until I looked at a map of Lake Worth and realized the orientation of the photo as described above is correct. That is Goat Island in the background and, indeed, had the camera been panned a bit more toward the south and east (left), Whiting Castle would have been in the frame. It also means that Casino Beach and the Lake Worth Casino are just to the right foreground of this picture and the Jacksboro Highway is just out of the frame foreground as well. 

 

Regarding the Marine Air Base on Eagle Mountain Lake; my buddies and I used to go to the drag races out there until they shut the whole thing down. 

 

Anyway, interesting bit of history. Thanks.