| In real life there is often a thin line
| |
| | over land, but it's broken. I'm sure I'm
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| between tragedy and mystery. Such are the
| |
| | in the Keys, but I don't know how far
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| circumstances surrounding the fate of
| |
| | down, and I don't know how to get to Fort
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| Flight 19 recalled by the recent recovery
| |
| | Lauderdale."Cox told Taylor to put the
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| of a World War II Navy torpedo bomber
| |
| | afternoon sun on port wing and if he was
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| from the sea bottom near Key
| |
| | over the Keys he would quickly reach the
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| West.Treasure salvor Mel Fisher and his
| |
| | southern tip of Florida. Cox said he
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| crew found the corroded plane 16 years
| |
| | would begin to fly south.The leader of
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| ago while searching for the Spanish
| |
| | Flight 19 radioed back, "I know where I
|
| galleon Atocha. Having, brought up
| |
| | am now. I'm at 2,300 feet. Don't come
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| several million dollars worth of gold and
| |
| | after me." Nevertheless, Cox turned south
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| jewels from the ancient ship, Fisher
| |
| | to try and intercept the lost planes.
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| lifted the more modern wreckage to view
| |
| | Radio signals between the two men grew
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| once more.By tracing a serial number, the
| |
| | increasingly weaker, indicating they were
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| plane was identified as one of 24 that
| |
| | growing farther apart instead of closer.
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| went down during training flights from
| |
| | Birth Of MythThe above transcript of
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| the Key West Naval Air Station in
| |
| | conversation with Flight 19, taken from
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| 1945.Until the identification, newspapers
| |
| | the official Board of Inquiry record, is
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| and television revived the "Bermuda
| |
| | here recounted because the
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| Triangle" myth speculating that the old
| |
| | sensationalists have invented wild
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| plane was one of five that disappeared
| |
| | accounts of Taylor's remarks. Alleged
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| "without trace" in December 1945 with 14
| |
| | assertions of "the sun doesn't look
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| crewmen.As a Yeoman aboard U.S.S. Eagle
| |
| | right" "the ocean looks strange,"
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| 27 at Key West and Fort Lauderdale in the
| |
| | everything is white" are inventions to
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| closing months of WWII, I participated in
| |
| | invoke the mysterious power of the
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| the first of a series of flight tragedies
| |
| | Bermuda Triangle.It was apparent that
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| of which Flight 19 was but a part. The
| |
| | Flight 19 was exactly where it should be,
|
| true story is absorbing. True StoryIn
| |
| | north of the Bahamas. Repeated efforts to
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| July 1945, the Eagle 27 was attached to
| |
| | get Taylor to turn west or to shift to
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| the Naval Air Station at Fort Lauderdale.
| |
| | the emergency radio channel instead of
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| Our mission was to deploy in the Gulf
| |
| | the now out-of-range training frequency
|
| Stream while fledgling pilots attempted
| |
| | were ignored. Taylor indicated he was
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| to target us with dummy torpedoes set to
| |
| | fearful that if he switched he might lose
|
| run deep, under our hull.We replaced a
| |
| | contact with his other planes.This was a
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| sister Eagle which was sunk when an
| |
| | fatal mistake that deprived him of
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| errant torpedo, accurately aimed, tore
| |
| | accurate instructions. In his confusion
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| all the way through the unlucky ship.
| |
| | he also failed to turn on his IFF signal
|
| Perhaps it, too, will be recovered
| |
| | which would have registered him on radar
|
| someday and fuel again the legend of evil
| |
| | screens, and to turn on his automatic
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| forces lurking in the briny deep.Our last
| |
| | homing signal.Despite all, shore-based
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| mission was to assist in the search for a
| |
| | radio operators managed to get a radio
|
| missing PBY "flying boat." The plane took
| |
| | direction "fix" on Taylor's faint signal
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| off from the Miami Naval Air Station on a
| |
| | just before the planes ran out of gas
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| patrol flight and disappeared without
| |
| | about 8 p.m.Two PBY flying boats, which
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| word, taking 15 crewmen to their deaths.
| |
| | had been standing by since 4 p.m., were
|
| We recovered one body mangled by
| |
| | dispatched on different courses to the
|
| sharks.Shortly thereafter the venerable
| |
| | fix at 29 degrees north and 79 degrees
|
| Eagles were decommissioned, and I was
| |
| | west.The PBY "Mariner" did not radio a
|
| honorably discharged. Before the year was
| |
| | requested position one half hour after
|
| over, Flight 19 hit the headlines.
| |
| | takeoff. Repeated attempts to raise the
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| Newspapers, magazines and radio (no TV
| |
| | rescue craft were unavailing. That plane
|
| yet) kept the story pumped up for weeks.
| |
| | and its 13 crewmen also were missing! The
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| Eventually a legend of hype was
| |
| | next day a fishing trawler crew reported
|
| established. I was doing a stint on the
| |
| | that they had seen the PBY explode and
|
| Detroit Free Press rewrite desk and
| |
| | fall to the water.The second rescue plan
|
| followed the story closely.Here are the
| |
| | reached the fix area without mishap and
|
| facts, confirmed over the years by
| |
| | began an expanded-square search
|
| additional research.Flight 19 consisted
| |
| | procedure. It was joined shortly by many
|
| of five Grumman Avenger torpedo planes.
| |
| | more planes and ships. A six-day search
|
| Each was loaded with 18,250 pounds of
| |
| | of the South Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and
|
| fuel, enough for 1,000 miles of flight.
| |
| | Gulf of Mexico did not find life rafts,
|
| All were equipped with two magnetic
| |
| | debris, bodies or oil slick.
|
| compasses, radio, identification signal
| |
| | Nothing.Weather at the fix point was
|
| transmitters (IFF) and electronic homing
| |
| | found to be limited visibility, winds of
|
| beams. All pre-flighted OK.Three crewmen
| |
| | 35 knots and "turbulent seas."It was now
|
| were assigned to each plane and each man
| |
| | clear what happened.When Flight 19 turned
|
| wore a "Mae West" life jacket. Each plane
| |
| | north after its bombing run it ran into a
|
| also carried a rubber life raft in an
| |
| | typical Gulf Stream summer squall.
|
| outside storage compartment, and the raft
| |
| | Overcast skies obscured the sun, violent
|
| inflated automatically upon contact with
| |
| | wind rocked the planes causing the
|
| water. The flight leader was Lt. Charles
| |
| | compasses to rock to and fro. This is a
|
| C. Taylor, an experienced instructor
| |
| | condition well known to sailors and
|
| recently transferred to the
| |
| | airmen. Surely Taylor had encountered the
|
| station.Taylor at 1:15 requested to be
| |
| | phenomenon so it is surprising that he
|
| relieved of the mission but gave no
| |
| | panicked when he could not orient
|
| reason. His last-minute request was
| |
| | himself. He compounded his difficulty
|
| denied. One crewman also asked to be
| |
| | when he mistook the Bahama Cays for the
|
| excused because of illness; and, in this
| |
| | Florida Keys.Perhaps Taylor was
|
| case, was granted. Clear WeatherThe
| |
| | experiencing some physical or mental
|
| flight took off on schedule at 2:10 p.m.
| |
| | problem that day that caused him to ask
|
| in clear, bright weather. Their orders
| |
| | to be excused and which later clouded his
|
| were to fly east 56 miles, simulate
| |
| | judgment. Certainly he persisted in
|
| low-level bombing runs over Hens and
| |
| | zigzagging northeast against instructions
|
| Chickens Cay, continue on 67 miles, turn
| |
| | from shore personnel. Even two of his
|
| north 73 miles to Grand Bahama Island,
| |
| | students were overheard imploring him to
|
| then turn southwest 120 miles to home
| |
| | turn west. However, being disciplined
|
| base. The whole exercise was estimated to
| |
| | officers, they followed their leader to
|
| take two hours.The first contact with
| |
| | the death of all.Tragic, but not
|
| Flight 19 occurred at 3:40 p.m. when Lt.
| |
| | mysterious.March 7, 1987Click here to see
|
| Robert F. Cox, another instructor flying
| |
| | this article on Lindsey Williams's
|
| that day, overheard Taylor talking to one
| |
| | websiteLindsey Williams is a Sun
|
| of his students named Powers over the
| |
| | columnist who can be contacted
|
| 4805 training-flight radio channel: "What
| |
| | at:Website: with several hundred of
|
| does your compass read? I don't know
| |
| | Lin's Editorial & At Large articles
|
| where we are. We must have got lost after
| |
| | written over 40 years.Also featured in
|
| that last turn."Cox cut in and asked if
| |
| | its entirety is Lin's groundbreaking book
|
| Taylor needed help. "Both my compasses
| |
| | "Boldly Onward," that critically analyzes
|
| are out and I am trying to find Fort
| |
| | and develops theories about the original
|
| Lauderdale, Florida," said Taylor. "I am
| |
| | Spanish explorers of America.
|
