The Lost Squadron

The Lost Squadron

Flight 19

On December 5, 1945, five Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers left Ft Lauderdale Florida on a training mission. They were to fly to several points in the Atlantic and return to the base in Florida, covering a distance of 320 miles. Radio conversations between the pilots were detectable by base and other aircraft in the area. It was known that the practice bombing operation was completed successfully. The first sign of trouble came with the transmission, "I don't know where we are. We must have got lost after that last turn." The transmission was heard by another flight instructor, Lieutenant Robert F. Fox in FT-74, who tried to help the lost flight regain their bearings. Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor, the flight leader of the lost squadron, transmitted, "Both of my compasses are out and I am trying to find Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I am over land but it's broken. I am sure I'm in the Keys but I don't know how far down and I don't know how to get to Fort Lauderdale." Lt. Fox then advised them to put the sun on his port wing and fly north up the coast to Fort Lauderdale. Several transmissions were passed back and forth between the flight leader and the other four bombers. They headed one way, and then the next, trying to find anything familiar, any place to land. The last transmission heard from Lt. Taylor was "All planes close up tight . . .we'll have to ditch unless landfall . . .when the first plane drops below 10 gallons, we all go down together." It soon became apparent that Lt. Taylor, for some unknown reason, turned his command over to another pilot who anxiously transmits: "We can't tell where we are . . .everything is . . .can't make out anything. We think we may be about 225 miles northeast of base . . ." For a few moments the pilot rambles incoherently before saying the last words ever heard from Flight 19: "It looks like we are entering white water . . .We're completely lost." The 5 Naval bombers were never seen again.

Minutes after the last transmission, a Mariner flying boat with rescue equipment is sent towards the area of Flight 19's transmission. Ten minutes after take-off, the pilot of the Mariner checks in with the tower and is never heard from again. The Coast Guard, Navy ships and aircraft search 250,000 square miles for the next 5 days, hoping to find some sign of the 5 Avengers or the Mariner, but saw neither oil slick nor wreckage.

In 1990, wreckage of an Avenger was raised from the ocean floor, but could not be positively identified as one of the missing planes.

A curious footnote to this story is that one of the planes of Flight 19 was missing a crew member. Marine Corporal Allan Kosner was given special permission to stay on land that day because he had an unshakeable premonition of danger.

The Lost Rescue

The PBM Martin Mariner

Several hours after the disappearance of Flight 19, two search and rescue planes, Training 49 and Training 32, were sent on a limited search for the missing squadron. The search was limited because not only had night fallen, but also because of increasing winds and isolated rain showers. Visibility would be poor at best. At 7:29, the two rescue planes, both PBM Mariners, set out. Training 49 was to search the area of Flight 19's last radio fix, and Training 32 was to head straight out into the Atlantic. Soon after take-off, Training 49 and Training 32 check in with the tower. All is well. Training 49 reports in for the second time, and Training 32 is never heard from again.

At 9:12, the base tower receives a report that at 7:50, the freighter Gaines Mill saw a huge fireball explosion in the night sky in the same area Training 32 would have been in. At this report, Training 49 was diverted to search for Training 32. At 10:45, Training 49 arrived at the area of the explosion and saw no sign of wreckage or debris. Amazingly, the Gaines Mill, already in the area of the explosion, also found no sign of debris. The Gaines Mill further reported there were no rain showers or lightning at the time of the explosion. The Solomons, a carrier, had also reported a blip that disappeared at the time and location of the explosion.

There was no doubt that the explosion was Training 32, but what caused the explosion and where was the debris? Mariners underwent rigorous preflight checks by a ground technician and then by the plane captain, the machinist always flew on his assigned plane, so these guys made darn sure these planes were ready to fly.

There have been reports of strange auroras, green colored glowing balls, and other strange lights of unknown origin in the Atlantic. These strange lights were reported by observers on and off the coast of Florida near the area where the Mariner exploded.

So why did the Mariner, called a flying gas tank, explode? Was it equipment failure? Someone lighting a cigarette, which was strictly prohibited? Pilot error? Or was the explosion caused by one of these light anomalies? Whatever the reason, there seems to be no explanation for the absence of debris, wreckage, or oil slick on the water. That is the real mystery.