Why is there a WWII seaplane in the middle of the Saudi Arabian desert?

Have you ever sat in a coffee shop just idly killing time watching the people around you, making up back stories to who they are and what they do? Don’t deny it, we all have. The well-groomed man in the corner eating a low-fat blueberry muffin with a knife and fork, while he quietly slurps down a salted caramel cream cold brew. He hasn’t taken his eyes off his phone for a second. What is his story? A start-up entrepreneur, frantically awaiting the confirmation of a life-changing invoice that will change his (and potentially our) life for the better thanks to his company’s new logistics-based delivery algorithm? We will never know, but that’s all part of the fun of it.

These types of exercises are not only a good way to burn through waiting time, but also a fun curiosity-fuelled task to challenge our creativity. While it is enjoyable to make up private narratives, sometimes that sense of curiosity can get the better of you and you simply have to find out.

Earlier this year, while shooting on location within the vast expanse of Saudi Arabia’s recently established NEOM region, we came across the wreck of a 1930’s World War II seaplane marooned near the beautiful sandy cape of Ras Al-Sheikh Hameed in the north-west province of Tabuk. We spent a fun afternoon coming up with our own theories, but ultimately, it was something that we simply had to find out…

Life was good for the Los Angeles industrialist Thomas W. Kendall back in the 1950s. Such was the success the 44 year old had with his US-based air conditioning business that he had been able to retire young with a substantial fortune allowing him the liberty to do what he wanted. And, what he wanted was to take his family on an around the world voyage – flown by himself.

With both himself and his wife both licensed and experienced pilots, Kendall used his business savvy and contacts to buy up three out of commission PBY Catalina Seaplanes, with the plans to convert the amphibious planes into luxurious floating suites.

While originally built for use during World War II, PBY Catalina Seaplanes were discontinued, but due to the versatile and amphibious nature of the planes, they were growing in popularity for those with vast amounts of wealth (and free time). After purchasing several models, Kendall hired noted Los Angeles interior designer George Erb to convert the warplanes into a trio of flying and floating luxury apartments.

All three had a capacity to sleep fourteen people, thanks to the covered foam rubber sofas that converted into beds, a full galley, lavatory and even a dining room with a table for eight. So luxurious was the finishing and accommodation aboard that once he returned from the intended trip Kendall planned on creating a business in converting and leasing out similar vessels.

In 1959, the Kendalls embarked on their around-the-world voyage bringing along their four children – aged eight to 24 – as well a selection of friends lucky enough to be invited along. Kendall and his 24-year-old son, Bob, piloted one plane. The other two planes were piloted by Mrs. Kendall and the prominent L.A. physician, Dr. Ellwood L. Schultz – also a licensed pilot.

Such was the splash that this ultimate flight of fancy made that the L.A. Times had reported on the Kendalls’ trip as they flew across the Atlantic ocean to the Portugal, where it is believed that one of the planes was used as part of the 1959 British drama film, S.O.S Pacific, starring Richard Attenborough. That the film’s plot was about a group of passengers forced to ditch their Catalina in the Pacific, is an ironic foreshadowing to say the least. Later, upon leaving the UK the family was joined by the photographer David Lees, as part of a feature being documented for LIFE Magazine, as they flew towards Egypt in early 1960.

While much of that leg was covered by Lees’ images published in LIFE Magazine, it was the Catalina’s fateful flight on March 22, 1960, that would be its most notable.

“Kendall and his family were leaving the Luxor in Egypt and were planning to fly towards to the Euphrates River near Baghdad,” explains Abdulaziz, a Saudi historian working as part of the NEOM heritage team. “The flight path would see them flying over Saudi Arabia’s north-west coast and, as they looked out of the windows, they saw the area’s beautiful, rustic beaches and decided to land.”

The beach they landed on was near Ras Al-Sheikh Humaid, on the western tip of NEOM where the Gulf of Aqaba meets the Rea Sea. The main issue for them was that they did not have permission to land in Saudi Arabia and, as Abdulaziz explains, “this was a problem, as you cannot land in a country without an entry permit – even today.”

The Kendalls and co. touched down fifty feet from the beach, just far enough ashore to ensure that the plane wouldn’t be washed away overnight. They set up camp for the night, and as the wind picked up, they ate and went to bed – unaware of what was to face them the next day.

Writing in LIFE Magazine (June 30, 1960), Thomas Kendall himself explained the situation:

“The following morning, March 23, we arose at six and immediately hoisted our American flag above the pilot’s compartment. We figured if anybody was around, the flag would identify us as being friendly. We had been told that the Saudi Arabs were friends of the United States. What we did not realize was that many of their soldiers don’t even know their own flag, let alone the Stars and Stripes.”

Later in the day, “at 4.32pm exactly”, while he was checking on the engine and two of the children were playing in the shallow water Kendall describes hearing the sounds of what he thought were firecrackers in the distance. Suddenly, he noticed little splashes in the water beside a rubber raft in the water. Somebody was shooting at them.

“At the time there was a lot of tension in the nearby area between Israel and Egypt and so the Saudi coastguard for the area was on alert,” explains Abdulaziz. “The Catalina was under fire from local tribesmen, fearing it was an invading aircraft.”

According to Kendall’s article, the barrage of gunfire lasted around 30 minutes, with the plane estimated to have withstood around 300 rounds. Luckily neither Kendall, his family nor any of the others were injured – the same could not be said for the Catalina, which suffered extensive damage rendering it unfit for flying.

After being taken to Jeddah, the Kendalls returned to the United States, but the plane has remained in the sand ever since.

Despite its remote location, the Kendall’s now devastated luxury seaplane still tempts visitors out to Ras Al-Sheikh Hameed to see it some 60 years later. Accessible to tourists, a fence has been built around it to both protect it and to discourage people from trying to climb it.

“Today, it’s important to help tell these historical stories and piece together the puzzles of the past,” says Abdulaziz , who as part of the NEOM heritage team works to help research the history of a widely unreported part of the region. “There are a lot of stories to tell in Saudi that have not been told before – especially in the NEOM area. Because of its geographical location, for much of history it has been an area that connects the two ancient areas of Asia and Mesopotamia.”

For Abdulaziz, part of the excitement of the projects he works on today, is to help tell the stories of the past. “It’s important for us as Arabs and Saudis to discover and share these stories,” he says. Stories, that are sometimes even more interesting than fiction.