A lot of good information/ 47 pages

Welcome to the site and Thank you very much for posting that Don. It certainly is an incredible portal site correctly described as (with apologies to a certain gentleman) The Mother of All Maritime Links - masses and masses of information.

One that particularly took my interest was the one on Seaplanes. I recall when I first went to the Azores finding, in a small photographic shop in Horta, some postcard sized prints of pre and immediately post war (WW2) seaplanes. From memory Horta, on Faial, was the refuelling stage between Europe and the 'States. I must find the prints and scan them in - the pre-war one was of a huge multi engine Junker (I think) the post-war ones were, I believe, badged TWA.

In addition, and going back to probably the turn of the century, were a fleet of 'square riggers' - part of the prolific Sperm Whale fishery.
Dave

Hi Don
I guess where the Azores sits midway between Boston and Lisbon there would have been numbers of islanders that migrated to the 'States. But doesn't the history, forgetting Columbus, go back even further. I recall in Herman Merville's classic Moby Dick that the bravest harpoonists (of Sperm Whales) came from the island of Pico.

Any rate here're some of the images of Faial (Fayal) - in 'black and white' I'm afraid. There're two of flying boats - and perhaps one of the German forum members may be able to identify the Dornier from its makings - one of the whaling fleet in the harbour at Horta and one of a volcanic eruption at the other end of the island. The lighthouse, now derilict, is dwafted by the ash clouds.

Then I'm sure Don everyone would be fascinated by the Bluefin research you referred to . I'd often suspect that there was interchange between the two stocks - your and our side of the 'Pond' - but couldn't find any material to substantiate it. They're incredible creatures! I've only ever seen them - never caught one - off the islands in the North East Atlantic - the Azores, Madeira and the Canaries, and, circumstantially, off Ascension Island, much further south. That was an Azorean crewman who saw the fish. All we saw were the huge gouts of water and lines being 'popped' from the stinger lines BUT no hookups.

So where do you fish for them? Off the North East, the Bahamas or the winter fishery in the Carolinas? Odd BIG fish of course also show up in the Gulf of Mexico.
Best wishes
Dave