Canada finds possible US Air Force plane lost in 1942

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090806...20090806231120

Peter,

I am a big military & history buff so I always read about it and came across this, this morning.


Thu Aug 6, 7:11 pm ET
OTTAWA (AFP) – Canadian underwater archeologists accidentally discovered what they believe to be the wreck of a US Air Force airplane that sank in the Saint Lawrence seaway in 1942, the Parks Canada divers said Thursday.

The divers said in a statement that they were carrying out routine work in an adjacent area when they came across the wreck. It must still be confirmed that it is indeed the lost plane.

"This is a very significant discovery," Quebec region Minister Christian Paradis said. "This plane is a testament to the collaboration between Canada and the US during the Second World War."

The amphibious aircraft foundered in rough weather on November 2, 1942, in the waters surrounding what is now the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve in the eastern Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

The plane was based at Presqu'Ile, Maine, in the United States, and serviced an airfield in the village of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec, about 1,000 kilometers (641 miles) northeast of Montreal.

Nine persons were on board when the aircraft went down. Four of the crew escaped the flooding plane and were rescued by local fishermen rowing out from shore in open boats in rough seas.

The five others perished, trapped inside.

Officials said sonar scans indicate the plane appears to be in good condition and divers hope to recover any remains of the five victims in the coming weeks.

"The United States government was extremely interested to learn of the discovery of the wreckage," said David Fetter, Consul General of the United States.

In 1941 and 1942, the United States constructed a series of airfields in Eastern Canada to ferry aircraft to Allied air forces in Northern Europe, as part of the so-called "Crimson Route."

The construction of the airport in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan was to serve as an emergency airfield along the ferry route between Presque Isle and Goose Bay, Labrador.

[Peanut9199]

It's too bad that they couldn't recover the soldiers after it went down.
I guess back then they didn't have the equipment to do it.
Nothing worse than losing someone and not being able to bury them, but hopefully they can now do it.
I'll be heading up that way next year, i going to do the whole east coast and if time head through Maine and stop in Bangor (huge Stephen King Fan) and stop off a couple of days in Quebec as well.
I was supposed to go down your way next month on the way to Washington DC but have to do some things around the house and need the money.

[Cookie]

I am a King fan and got my own pet cementary due to all the road kill, his house is pretty neat looking you will love the outside of it. I am not a fan of New England, especially Maine or Vermont. Hawkeye, remember Mash? He is from there, too. If I ever wanted to move further north, I would passby all of that and move straight onto Halifax or Newfoundland.