Two of the planes were destroyed and remain on the lake bottom in 150 feet of mud. Two other bombers and the seaplane were salvaged.
The recovered B-25 is the third oldest of 130 B-25s remaining of the 9,800 produced. It sank in the lake after the crew landed on the water after an engine lost power in April 1943. The crew escaped unharmed. These bombers cost $150,000 each.
Lake Murray was an ideal training site because of its large size and many deserted islands. From 1942 to 1945, thousands of flight hour time were logged. Crews learned how to properly deliver a bomb to a target. The lake itself was formed when an earthen dam was built in 1927.
Something Most People Today Don't Know. --GreGen
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.
Showing posts with label Columbia South Carolina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Columbia South Carolina. Show all posts
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Aviation Training Accidents in South Carolina-- Part 1
From the April 17, 2009 Columbia (SC) State.
World War II required lots of airplane personnel and they trained in the United States. of course, when you take numbers like that and inexperience, there are bound to be accidents and deaths, all part of the general war effort.
Back three years ago, a memorial to 13 World War II aviators who died in training missions in Lake Murray, near Columbia, was dedicated to coincide with the Doolittle Reunion.
In September 2005, a B-25C bomber was pulled of the lake, restored and is now on display at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama. It was one of five planes that crashed into the lake during training missions.
The local Army Air Corps Base, now Columbia Metropolitan Airport was one of two US bases B-25 crews trained at. Bulls Eyes were painted on Skull and Bone islands for pilots and crews to practice. Over the course of the war, five bombers and one seaplane crashed in the lake, killing 13 aviators.
More to Come. --GreGen
World War II required lots of airplane personnel and they trained in the United States. of course, when you take numbers like that and inexperience, there are bound to be accidents and deaths, all part of the general war effort.
Back three years ago, a memorial to 13 World War II aviators who died in training missions in Lake Murray, near Columbia, was dedicated to coincide with the Doolittle Reunion.
In September 2005, a B-25C bomber was pulled of the lake, restored and is now on display at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama. It was one of five planes that crashed into the lake during training missions.
The local Army Air Corps Base, now Columbia Metropolitan Airport was one of two US bases B-25 crews trained at. Bulls Eyes were painted on Skull and Bone islands for pilots and crews to practice. Over the course of the war, five bombers and one seaplane crashed in the lake, killing 13 aviators.
More to Come. --GreGen
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