Alameda County

Rare World War II flying boat makes stop in Bay Area

The 117-foot long Philippine Mars flew is one of two of its kind still in existence, anchored in Alameda overnight

NBC Universal, Inc.

A rare World War II-era flying boat called the Philippine Mars made a pit stop in the Bay Area this past weekend.

The boat landed in the Bay Area on Sunday from the British Columbia and anchored overnight in Alameda where it was based during its Navy Service.

The 117-foot long flying boat entered service in 1946, shuttling supplies between California and Hawaii. After the war, it later found new life as a firefighting aircraft in British Columbia.

There are just two of its kind still in existence.

Around noon on Monday, the plane took off for its final stop at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

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