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