Wreck of a Catalina flying boat on the beach of Ras Alsheikh Hamid. Tabuk Region, Saudi Arabia

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In 1959 Mr. Kendall and his family departed on an around-the-world tour in their Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina N5593V. On March 22, 1960, the Catalina landed in the water near the Ras Alsheikh Hamid, Saudia Arabia, opposite of Sharm-el-Sheikh. In the afternoon of the following day they were attacked by Bedouins attached to the Saudi Arabian army who fired machine guns and automatic firearms from a headland nearby. The airplane sustained some 300 bullet holes. The occupants were thought to have been Israeli commandos. They were eventually taken to Jeddah, interrogated and finally set free with the help of the American Ambassador. The Catalina was abandoned on the beach.

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Size: 6996px × 4669px
Location: Ras Alsheikh Hamid, Saudi Arabia
Photo credit: © Bert de Ruiter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No

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