The bomber was used in World War II by the US Air Force and crashed in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. It was housed at the RAAF Heritage Centre at Amberley Base.
For the heavy lifting of the aircraft, weighing approximately 18 tons, Sarens used its all-terrain crane unit with a capacity of 90 tons. This work is part of the Taxi Rentals services offered by Sarens in the region, with the aim of providing a rapid and efficient response to its customers, eliminating the time required for assembly and disassembly of machinery.
This is the first time in history that a fully restored American World War II bomber has been repatriated to Papua New Guinea, becoming one of the centrepieces of the National Museum's permanent collection.
Sarens, world leader in heavy lifting, engineered transport and crane rental services, has been directly involved in the relocation of the Douglas A-20 Havoc bomber, also known as ‘Hell'N Pelican II’, from the RAAF Heritage Centre at Amberley Base, Australia, to the National Museum and Art Gallery of Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby, carried out to mark the 50th anniversary of the country's independence.
In order to carry out the heavy lifting of the aircraft, weighing approximately 18 tons, Sarens used one of its all-terrain cranes, with a capacity of 90 tons. Significant planning work was required prior to the road transport from RAAF Amberley to the port of Townsville, where it was then loaded onto the Australian defence vessel ADV Reliant bound for Port Moresby. Due to the size and importance of the load, extensive collaboration between the Sarens team, local authorities and the police was necessary to carry out the recommended road closures in the safest possible conditions.
This project is part of the Taxi Cranes service portfolio offered by Sarens in Papua New Guinea, with a fleet of Frannas, Rough Terrain and All-Terrain cranes with capacities ranging from 20 to 90 tons. With these services, Sarens seeks to respond quickly and efficiently to its customers' needs, guaranteeing the almost immediate availability of machinery without the need to spend days or even weeks assembling and dismantling it. In addition to the availability of these cranes, Sarens has a fleet of more than 1,500 models that can be deployed to any location if the scale of the project requires it.
The ‘Hell'N Pelican II’ aircraft was a bomber used by the US Air Force that crashed in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, in 1944 due to bad weather during a mission. This unit remained missing until 1976, when it was transported to Australia and restored by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Although it was formally returned to PNG in 1996 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the RAAF and the 20th anniversary of PNG's independence, the aircraft remained at the RAAF Heritage Centre in Amberley, from where it has now been moved back to Port Moresby.
This bomber, which symbolises the bond and shared history between Australia and Papua New Guinea since their cooperation during World War II, will become one of the key elements in the country's 50th anniversary celebrations in September 2025. Now housed in the PNG National Museum, the Hell'N Pelican II will be a centrepiece of the museum's permanent collection, marking the first time a fully restored American World War II bomber has been repatriated to PNG.
Sarens has been present in Papua New Guinea since 2023, when it created a Joint Venture with Trans Wonderland LTD (TWL), the country's leading integrated transport and logistics company, creating a new company, Sarens PNG. Its availability of advanced machinery, not only in terms of cranes, but also in SPMTs (Self-Propelled Modular Trailers), gantry cranes, jacking systems, barges and tower systems, has since enabled it to establish itself as a benchmark player in the industry, and key to its growth.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 5,000 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/