June of ’71: Last Duluth “Gooney Bird” retired

The last C-47 “Gooney Bird” military transport aircraft based in Duluth was retired 50 years ago. The June 23, 1971 Duluth Herald reported that the C-47 left the Duluth Air Force Base to join other obsolete aircraft in the Air Force Logistics Command’s Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center in Arizona. The “Gooney Bird” was a 1944 model that was used in World War II.

Also in the news:

  • The Duluth City Council adopted a plan for the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District on June 21, making regional sewage treatment facilities for the St. Louis River a reality.
  • A replica of the 17th century ship the Nonsuch was set to visit Duluth in August and offer free tours. The original Nonsuch led to the founding of the Hudson Bay Company and the replica was constructed to mark the company’s 300th anniversary. Duluth was scheduled to be the last stop on the replica ship’s tour before being dismantled and sent to Winnipeg to be reconstructed to appear in the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature.

Caption: Replica of Old Sailing Vessel to Visit Here

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