Greetings - Aircraft of World War II

Don13 · 10-04-2009, 05:38 PM

Just a quick note to introduce myself and also to put in a rather unusal request.

While I have an interest in aircraft in general (I am a former General Aviation pilot), my main areas of interest are WWII RAF Bomber Command and mysteries of the air (I do paranormal investigations on the side). My uncle was navigator on 617 Sqd. Lancaster AJ-B ED864 on the Dams Raid - unfortunately, they were lost on the way in with all 7 crew members killed.

My request has to do with an incident which apparently took place in Nova Scotia during WWII. The story goes as follows:

In March, 1943, a Lockheed Hudson on a U-Boat patrol off Nova Scotia encountered engine trouble on the way home and was forced to make a wheels-down landing on the ice of Gaspereau Lake, about 50 miles NW of Halifax. No one was injured, but after repairs were made to the engine, vibration from the engine test run caused the ice to crack, and the aircraft began to sink. There is no recorded fuselage number, but a radio operator noted in his log book that a Hudson had force-landed on a Nova Scotia lake.
Now, this is where things get a little wierd.
Gaspereau Lake is bog fed, and as such, the waters are brown and murky. The incident apparently vanished from memory until 1998, when an extended dry period lowered the waters sufficiently for a passing search and rescue crew to observe the image of an aircraft in the dark and murky waters. The location was recorded by Sgt. Jean Roy and M/Cpl Darrell Cronin who reported seeing two vertical stabilizers and a gun turret on the upper fuselage. Unfortunately, before they could record their sighting on a map, Sgt. Roy, M/Cpl Cronin and four other crew members were killed in the crash of their Labrador helicopter in Quebec soon after.
Apparently, in 2000, underwater video footage was taken of an aircraft identified as either a Hudson or a Ventura, but since then, any and all follow-up investigations have been plagued with both technical and natural obsticles i.e high water, equipment malfunctions, unstable boulders falling amongst the divers, etc.
The divers that did manage to get down found nothing that resembled a Hudson, although two civilian Cessnas and a tractor were eventually recovered from the lake.
This has led investigators to question as to whether the Hudson rests in a deep hole that side-scan sonar has been unable to penetrate, are large rocks blocking or reflecting signals, or has the aircraft been covered with silt.
I have been attempting to locate the 2000 video footage, but so far have drawn a blank.
If anyone here on the forum has heard about this, or has anything to add to it or any theories, I surely would appreciate hearing from them.

Don

vikingBerserker · 10-04-2009, 06:45 PM

Hi Don, welcome aboard. I've never heard the story, but if you can find the video, please post.

Gnomey · 10-04-2009, 07:55 PM

Welcome Don.

Don13 · 10-04-2009, 08:36 PM

Thanks for the welcome, guys. If I can ever come up with a copy of that video, I'll definitely post it.
In the meantime, if anyone on the forum is interested in aerial hauntings, it would be worthwhile to pick up Martin Caidin's book "Ghosts of the Air". It was published in 1996 by Glade Press, Inc. of St. Paul, MN, and should still be available from Amazon. It is a truly amazing book, and all the stories recounted in it are true as Caidin is a professional pilot and prolific writer not given to flights of fancy.
Strange happenings in the air are not as unusual as some might think - I personally experienced such an incident when I was completing my cross country flight to qualify for my pilot's license back in 1978. Fortunately, things turned out okay, but it was a bit hairy for awhile.

Don

Aaron Brooks Wolters · 10-04-2009, 10:13 PM

Welcome Don.

Don13 · 10-04-2009, 11:42 PM

Thanks, Aaron.

Don

wheelsup_cavu · 10-05-2009, 12:13 AM

Welcome to the forum Don.

Sorry I can't help.

Wheels

Airframes · 10-05-2009, 01:28 AM

Hi Don, and welcome from England. Interesting stuff, and I hope you find the information and video.

Vic Balshaw · 10-05-2009, 01:49 AM

G'day Don greetings from 'Down Under', afraid I can't help you, but wish luck in your venture.

Pong · 10-05-2009, 04:36 AM

Greetings from the Philippines Don and welcome aboard!

Wayne Little · 10-05-2009, 06:46 AM

Can't help either....but welcome anyways...

RabidAlien · 10-05-2009, 08:19 AM

Welcome aboard, and please keep us updated on your search!

Thorlifter · 10-05-2009, 11:14 AM

Welcome to the forum

Njaco · 10-05-2009, 05:57 PM

Welcome to the Forum!

"Ghosts of the Air" - I remember reading that!

diddyriddick · 10-05-2009, 06:28 PM

Welcome aboard, Don. I'm afraid I can't help in your quest, but wish you luck.

10-04-2009, 05:38 PM	#1
Don13 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Halifax, NS Posts: 5	Greetings Just a quick note to introduce myself and also to put in a rather unusal request. While I have an interest in aircraft in general (I am a former General Aviation pilot), my main areas of interest are WWII RAF Bomber Command and mysteries of the air (I do paranormal investigations on the side). My uncle was navigator on 617 Sqd. Lancaster AJ-B ED864 on the Dams Raid - unfortunately, they were lost on the way in with all 7 crew members killed. My request has to do with an incident which apparently took place in Nova Scotia during WWII. The story goes as follows: In March, 1943, a Lockheed Hudson on a U-Boat patrol off Nova Scotia encountered engine trouble on the way home and was forced to make a wheels-down landing on the ice of Gaspereau Lake, about 50 miles NW of Halifax. No one was injured, but after repairs were made to the engine, vibration from the engine test run caused the ice to crack, and the aircraft began to sink. There is no recorded fuselage number, but a radio operator noted in his log book that a Hudson had force-landed on a Nova Scotia lake. Now, this is where things get a little wierd. Gaspereau Lake is bog fed, and as such, the waters are brown and murky. The incident apparently vanished from memory until 1998, when an extended dry period lowered the waters sufficiently for a passing search and rescue crew to observe the image of an aircraft in the dark and murky waters. The location was recorded by Sgt. Jean Roy and M/Cpl Darrell Cronin who reported seeing two vertical stabilizers and a gun turret on the upper fuselage. Unfortunately, before they could record their sighting on a map, Sgt. Roy, M/Cpl Cronin and four other crew members were killed in the crash of their Labrador helicopter in Quebec soon after. Apparently, in 2000, underwater video footage was taken of an aircraft identified as either a Hudson or a Ventura, but since then, any and all follow-up investigations have been plagued with both technical and natural obsticles i.e high water, equipment malfunctions, unstable boulders falling amongst the divers, etc. The divers that did manage to get down found nothing that resembled a Hudson, although two civilian Cessnas and a tractor were eventually recovered from the lake. This has led investigators to question as to whether the Hudson rests in a deep hole that side-scan sonar has been unable to penetrate, are large rocks blocking or reflecting signals, or has the aircraft been covered with silt. I have been attempting to locate the 2000 video footage, but so far have drawn a blank. If anyone here on the forum has heard about this, or has anything to add to it or any theories, I surely would appreciate hearing from them. Don

10-04-2009, 06:45 PM	#2
vikingBerserker Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,730	Hi Don, welcome aboard. I've never heard the story, but if you can find the video, please post. __________________ "Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it" "Those who dwell in the past, condemn the future"

10-04-2009, 07:55 PM	#3
Gnomey "World Traveller" Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Royal Deeside/St Andrews, Scotland, UK Posts: 15,218	Welcome Don. __________________ "Success is not Final, Failure is not Fatal, it is the Courage to Continue that Counts" Sir Winston Churchill "To him the People of the World Largely owe the Freedom and Liberties they Enjoy Today" Enscription on Hugh Dowding's (AOC Fighter Command 1936-40) statue in London WW2 Talk: A WW2 Discussion Forum My Photo Collections on Flickr

10-05-2009, 12:13 AM	#7
wheelsup_cavu Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Corona, California Posts: 1,534	Welcome to the forum Don. Sorry I can't help. Wheels __________________ Cheers Wheelsup_cavu Wheels's Photos - Time lapse build of an F/A-18 Super Hornet - Lock N' Load

10-05-2009, 01:28 AM	#8
Airframes Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 9,060	Hi Don, and welcome from England. Interesting stuff, and I hope you find the information and video. __________________

10-04-2009, 08:36 PM	#4
Don13 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Halifax, NS Posts: 5	Thanks for the welcome, guys. If I can ever come up with a copy of that video, I'll definitely post it. In the meantime, if anyone on the forum is interested in aerial hauntings, it would be worthwhile to pick up Martin Caidin's book "Ghosts of the Air". It was published in 1996 by Glade Press, Inc. of St. Paul, MN, and should still be available from Amazon. It is a truly amazing book, and all the stories recounted in it are true as Caidin is a professional pilot and prolific writer not given to flights of fancy. Strange happenings in the air are not as unusual as some might think - I personally experienced such an incident when I was completing my cross country flight to qualify for my pilot's license back in 1978. Fortunately, things turned out okay, but it was a bit hairy for awhile. Don

10-04-2009, 10:13 PM	#5
Aaron Brooks Wolters Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Abingdon, VA. Posts: 2,283	Welcome Don.

10-04-2009, 11:42 PM	#6
Don13 Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Halifax, NS Posts: 5	Thanks, Aaron. Don

10-05-2009, 01:49 AM	#9
Vic Balshaw Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Canberra Posts: 832	G'day Don greetings from 'Down Under', afraid I can't help you, but wish luck in your venture. __________________ Thunder and Lightning

10-05-2009, 04:36 AM	#10
Pong Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Manila, Philippines Posts: 495	Greetings from the Philippines Don and welcome aboard! __________________ "I'm sure as hell not a killer, but combat flying is like a game, and a guy likes to come out on top." -Maj. George E. Preddy, killed on Christmas Day, 1944

10-05-2009, 06:46 AM	#11
Wayne Little Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Adelaide Sth. Aust. Posts: 12,511	Can't help either....but welcome anyways... __________________

10-05-2009, 08:19 AM	#12
RabidAlien Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Hurst, Texas Posts: 2,825	Welcome aboard, and please keep us updated on your search! __________________ Pillage, then burn. Argue not with dragons, for thou art crunchy and go well on toast.

10-05-2009, 11:14 AM	#13
Thorlifter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Dallas, Tx Posts: 4,345	Welcome to the forum __________________

10-05-2009, 05:57 PM	#14
Njaco The Pop-Tart Whisperer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: South Jersey, United States Posts: 10,228	Welcome to the Forum! "Ghosts of the Air" - I remember reading that! __________________ "If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it's English, thank a soldier!" http://www.njcacoa.org/

10-05-2009, 06:28 PM	#15
diddyriddick Senior Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Hamlet, NC, US Posts: 723	Welcome aboard, Don. I'm afraid I can't help in your quest, but wish you luck.

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