[Bear
with me through Parts 1 & 2 as we set the stage for the Revelation in Part
3. While, initially, this may seem to be nothing more than an exploration of the
hallmark case of The Bermuda Triangle, it has a direct link to a blackmark on Frontier
Historical Combat Research—practically every resource I see on early tomahawk “fighting”
and like Eastern Woodland Warfare matters are implicated in this hoax. I know
all this seems unrelated but stay with me—the Warrior-Scholar will be rewarded.
Now, dig in, as I’ve been putting this together for a long time, a lotta work
here and the revelation, well, stay with me, you’ll see.]
[Oh,
and if it’s not already obvious, reading Part
1 is essential to understanding what follows, as the Timeline is continuous
in the official military records.]
“Science
must begin with myths and with the criticism of myths.”—Karl Popper, Philosopher
of Science
THE RESCUE EFFORTS
No
aircraft had been scrambled in a rescue effort as position fix had not yet been
established. All that was had to go on was the ComGulf Sea Frontier Evaluation
Center guesstimate plotted at 5:50 p.m. which placed them east of New Smyrna
Beach, Florida over the Atlantic [likely correct] but this butted against Flight
Commander Taylor’s continued insistence that he was over the Gulf of Mexico 100+
miles to the west.
Bear
in mind, the chatter overheard by the other pilots of Flight 19 did not concur
with Lt. Taylor’s incorrect assessment—the chatter confirmed an “Over the Atlantic”
fix.
6:20 p.m.
A
Dumbo flying boat leaves Dinner Key Seaplane Base in what is essentially a blind
search hoping to establish radio contact and a positional fix for Flight 19.
The
Dumbo soon fell out of contact and was feared also lost but fortunately it was
a problem with antenna icing.
The
problem rectified, the Dumbo continued its search to no avail.
7:07 p.m.
Two
Martin Mariners designated Training 32 and Training 49 are ordered to assist
the search.
One
takes off from east of New Smyrna, the last assumed correct positional fix.
7:27 p.m.
Banana
River NAS
The
second Martin Mariner takes off.
The
pilot of the first Mariner, Lt. Gerald Bammerlin of Flight 32 reaches the last
assumed positional fix of Flight 19 and later reports:
“When
we arrived in the area of Flight 19’s 5:30 position fix, about 8:15, the overcast
was at approximately 800 to 1,200 feet. There were occasional showers. The estimated
wind was west-southwest 25 to 30 knots. The air was very turbulent the sea very
rough. We flew manually on instruments throughout the night, though whitecaps
were visible below.”
Loss of Contact with Flight 49
The
second Martin Mariner failed to make radio contact or arrive at its rendezvous
point for performing search-grid detail.
7:50 p.m.
The
crew of the seagoing vessel S.S. Gaines Mill logs seeing an enormous
sheet of fire caused by the explosion of an airplane.
They
cruise to the area and report an oil slick, some debris but no survivors.
They
gather no debris due to ocean turbulence and deteriorating weather.
A
Crew of 13 lives perished.
By
this point Flight 19 would have depleted its fuel and would also be assumed
down like Flight 49.
A
crew of 14 gone.
A total of 27 human beings lost.
Search
efforts were called off for the night.
Hundreds
of planes and ships recommence the search the next day, but no traces of Flights
19 or 49 are found.
Not
unusual considering sea and weather conditions at the time of the losses.
THE INVESTIGATION
April 3, 1946
The
Naval investigation into the loss of Flight 19 concludes and offers the
judgment:
“[The] flight leader’s false assurance of identifying the
Florida Keys, islands he sighted, plagued his future decisions and confused his
reasoning…[H]e was directing his flight to fly east…even though he was
undoubtedly east of Florida.”
Lt.
Taylor’s mother and aunt “reasoning” through the lens of matronly love refused
to accept the verdict.
They
appealed to powers that be to re-open the case.
The
protest worked, a second Naval Panel viewed the evidence, and in August announced
that they could see no discrepancies in the first panel’s investigation and
that after a careful review of the evidence could see no other explanation beyond
pilot error. Lt. Taylor to be specific.
The
two women were outraged at the outcomes of both investigations and hired an
attorney who then secured a third hearing in October of 1946.
November 19, 1946
The
Board for Correction of Naval Records amends the two original findings to
retract the original verdict and had added into the record that the loss of
Flight 19 was due to “causes or reasons unknown.”
Two
women, not pilots, or aircraft loss investigators, two women who were not even present
on the scene trumped the judgment of all experts, all eye and ear witnesses.
They
even trumped the other pilots of Flight 19 who were openly discussing disobeying
Lt. Taylor’s orders to save their lies and head due west knowing they were over
the Atlantic.
What Should Have Been the End of a Sad and Tragic Tale
The
Martin Mariner was assumed lost to an electrical spark within the cabin. The Martins
had a history of such mishaps—and were known as “flying gas bombs.”
[Sidenote:
My own father perished in such a “spark within cabin” incident. These things happen.]
The
lack of debris in 50-foot seas is not considered a mystery.
The
experienced know that such wave turbulence tearing across the surface of windswept
seas and the concomitant beneath surface roiling can take a downed craft to the
bottom in seconds.
The
story should end here, even the sad story of perverting the investigation
outcome.
But…sadly,
maddeningly, it does not.
This
tragic mundane tale would morph into a cascade of lies.
Lies,
not mistakes, of the historical record.
Those
lies matter because the truth matters.
Those
lies matter because 27 lives were lost, and telling a good tale for the sake of
a few bucks is reprehensible.
Those
lies matter, that invented dialogue matters, those invented facts matter.
In Part 3, we will discuss those lies and…link it directly to a
foundational lie regarding Historical Combat Research.
The
connection is no metaphor.
It
is a direct and causal link that calls into question much “research” into early
Frontier Fighting.
Resources
for Livin’ the Warrior Life, Not Just Readin’ About It
All
historically accurate and viciously verified!
The
Black Box Warehouse
https://www.extremeselfprotection.com/
The
Indigenous Ability Blog
https://indigenousability.blogspot.com/
The
Rough ‘n’ Tumble Raconteur Podcast
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