For Solent Dinner information and reservations, please see the bottom of this page.

Tour Times

Saturday and Sunday – 11:00am, 1:00pm and 3:00pm

Admission

$5 - Adults 　●　 $3 - Children

Welcome Aboard the Short Brothers

"Solent" MkIII

This flying boat was built by the Short Brothers at Rochester, England as a Seaford S-45, under contract with the Royal Air Force. The Seaford, an upgraded version of the Sunderland long-range reconnaissance flying boat, was designed for use in the Pacific.

With the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Seaford’s were no longer needed and this aircraft was flown on October 16, 1946 to an RAF maintenance unit in Wig Bay, Scotland. In August 1947, this plane was transferred to the Short Brothers’ Belfast, Ireland facility and converted to a Solent MkIII for passenger use, then sold through the Ministry of Finance to British Overseas Airways Corporation.

In March of 1949, this aircraft was registered to BOAC and named City of Cardiff to begin its maiden commercial service on May 17, 1949 between Southampton, England and Johannesburg, South Africa. The route was flown during daylight hours only, with overnight stops along the route in such exotic locales as Augusta, Sicily; Luxor, Egypt (landing on the Nile); Lake Victoria and at the head of Victoria Falls in what was then Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) with the final stop at Lake Malawi outside Johannesburg.

This was truly the golden age of travel back when the "sun never set on the British Empire." Come take the 30-45 minute guided tour through this incredible piece of aviation history and learn the rest of the Solent story.

Accessibility

Due to the design of this aircraft, the flying boat is not accessible to wheelchair users, strollers, walkers or other forms of mobility assistance. All visitors to the flying boat must be self-ambulatory.

Dinners aboard the Solent

Welcome to a new program here at OAM.  This two hour evening experience is truly unique and offers guests an immersion in the luxury of food and service provided during the Golden Age of travel.

Dinner reservations are available the second Saturday of each month.  This two hour evening experience is from 6pm to 8pm and is $150.00 per guest.  All reservations are on a first come basis.

Below is the gourmet offering as served originally by British Overseas Air Company on the South Hampton to Johannesburg schedule the Solent made between 1949 and 1951.  All meals are recreated in complete detail by Denise McConnell and Kevin Malek of InTheMix. 

Once you have completed and submitted the reservation form below, please enter the size of your party and proceed to our PayPal site to secure your reservation date.  All dinner reservations must be made and paid for 2 weeks in advance to guarantee your requested date.

Join us for an evening you'll never forget!

___________________________________  

B.O.A.C. SILVER SERVICE MENU

Poached Fresh Salmon

(layered with Dill & Baby Leek wrapped in Smoked Salmon served with a Fresh and Peppery Watercress Sauce)

***

Roasted Marinated Chicken Breast

(with Garlic and Herbs) 

Panache of Seasonal Vegetables 

Whole Minted Baby New Patatoes

***

Traditional Apple and Blackberry Crumble with Sauce Anglaise

***

Coffee & Mints

Selection of Continental Breads and Butter

___________________________________

Below are all currently open dates to make reservations for dinner onboard the Solent.  OAM is taking reservations up to six months in advance at this time.

Included in this chart is the number of seats still open for each date.

NOTE: Each table aboard the Solent seats four guests, so parties of five or more will not all be seated at the same table.

Please refer to this chart when selecting your date and party size in the reservation form to the left.