1940 Safe Sun Life - Operation Fish

[MrTomorrow]

In 1940 the British hid gold assets in a vault in Montreal at the Sun Life Building, it was called Operation Fish and it was a big top secret thing. The door looks a bit complicated with a couple of different dials. Can anyone tell me the make and model of this door? For the purpose of a novel/movie can you tell me what tools or methods some one might use to gain entry using tools from that period? Stethoscope or drill? What do you think the material is made of and where do you think a template for drilling could be gotten? Where would the combination be recorded? http://cdn.sunlife.com/static/global/Ab ... Retina.jpg

[Squelchtone]

Looks like a Mosler, but would have to look at some old catalogs to make sure. part numbers are not something you can often get on stuff made 100 years ago.

[cheerIO]

Judging by the location, time period, and other vaults in the area;

It is probable that the vault would have been built by the J & J Taylor Safe Company.

[MrTomorrow]

Thanks for those replies, I will do some more homework. thx

[Squelchtone]

Would calling Sun Life and asking for a company historian yield you some info, maybe they could go down to the basement and even get you some new photos. As this project was very secret, things like "where did they keep the combination" who knows, someone probably had it memorized or in a locked file cabinet somewhere.

As for ways of getting into that sort of vault back in 1940.. not sure, some very old timey locksmith would probably know.

[MrTomorrow]

...for a phone call. Why not? Hearing people's imaginations going wild also helps fuel the typewriter juice.

[Squelchtone]

I have a theory.. that photo/drawing of the Mountie in front of the safe door... I think that may be an artists interpretation.. The handles on that door have the square metal blocks that are very much Mosler specific, and are also not in locations that I see in actual photos in a book, the wheel that looks like a ship captain's wheel looks like an HHM wheel, it honestly needs more hardware/tubes coming in and out of it in order to work the pressure relief system, and the hinge hardware finials shape looks like an HHM (Herring Hall Marvin) Left Hand vault door pic I have. It's like someone took the best looking parts of several vault doors and made a composite illustration.

hope this helps,
Squelchtone

[bitbuster]

Here is what I see:
Pointed finials-----Victor
6-spoke wheel-----Victor and Hall
Double comb locks--York and HHM
Square handle tops--Mosler
Crane hinge & blocks--Victor

Not saying I'm right, not saying other input is wrong. I'll lean towards Squelch and say it's a hodgepodge of different safes.

[nick08037]

Is the vault door image from an original/historic bank publication? Could the illustrator at the time have been expected to obfuscate the image of the vault door for security purposes?

[MrTomorrow]

Obfuscation does make sense. The photo is from Sun Life. What is really real? I love it that the photo may be a composite. That makes a nice twist.

[1mrchristopher]

In point of fact, looking closely, I believe the Mountie to be the only part of that inset illustration that is a photograph. I believe the vault door to be an artistic rendering.

[MrTomorrow]

The posted image of the Sun Life Vault door and Mountie looks a lot like the Hatton Garden Vault door from this 1949 advertising. Two combos, lever, throw bar. The image is at the front of a video half way down this article. http://news.sky.com/story/1460741/jewel ... of-country

[C locked]

Judging by the location, time period, and other vaults in the area;

It is probable that the vault would have been built by the J & J Taylor Safe Company.

Very probably

For more information
http://www.housestories.ca/2013/06/the-j-j-taylor-safe-company-2/

Partway down the article ... taylor safe company was bought by... Mosler

[C locked]

Interesting acticle about
Operation fish
Includes a good description of the vault
construction, size etc

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19551026&id=BOxQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hCUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2719,6091082&hl=en

[C locked]

In point of fact, looking closely, I believe the Mountie to be the only part of that inset illustration that is a photograph. I believe the vault door to be an artistic rendering.

Having looked at the "original" image in sun lifes own history brohure
http://www.sunlife.com/static/global/files/about_us/History/pa_e_History_of_SLF.pdf
I believe it is a photo
The photo was likely a silver salt on glass plate

Like the vault photos of early bank of commerce
Near end of the article
http://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-banking-landmark-yours-for-5-7-million-cibc-building-built-on-old-cemetery