Posted on 09/21/2005 6:41:29 AM PDT by Rebelbase
It had been 60 years since Robert Barnes had seen a B-25 up close. Monday the Irmo resident got another look as workers slowly raised a World War II bomber that had crashed in Lake Murray.
Barnes was among 500 people, gathered at the landing on the north side of the dam, who cheered and applauded as the B-25C bomber surfaced just before 9 p.m.
Then workers spent nearly three hours draining water and 800 gallons of fuel from the plane. For a while, cables held it a few feet above the lake, a steady, gentle rain falling from the fuselage.
Early today, the bomber was lowered into a cradle, where it will rest until workers start disassembling it.
Watching the slow raising of the bomber made Barnes feel like he was back in the Army.
“It’s hurry up and wait all over again,” said the former artilleryman, 83.
He had spent more than six hours at the landing watching the final preparations to raise the plane Monday, after also waiting Saturday until the salvage attempt was called off.
Workers stopped the recovery Saturday, worried that they needed more equipment to prevent the plane’s damaged nose from breaking off. There was another 90-minute delay Monday night to pump out 800 gallons of fuel and water from the craft.
John Adams Hodge, who helped organize the operations, said workers were being deliberate to protect the aircraft.
“We’re keeping it gentle,” Hodge said.
But Barnes remained at his post — among the estimated 500 on hand — with a prime view of the effort because of his sense he was watching history.
“It’s something you don’t see every day.”
Barnes said he often saw bombers like the B-25C flying overhead during the war.
When he saw them 60 years ago, he said, he knew they would “go to it” and cause the destruction that would force Germany to surrender earlier.
The plane’s retrieval, he said, is important for those who have no firsthand knowledge of the war, unlike Barnes.
“It’s just great. I haven’t seen one for years.
“I hope it brings history to some of the young folks who have never seen these planes.”
Mitchell Ping
Check out the model that was created to assist in the recovery. Feds would have let bids for the model and probably would have spent $500,000 on it:
Foxhole Air Corp ping
Aviatrix ping
For consideration on your respective ping lists.
Ooops, please pardon the typos!
save for later
Shades of the B-25 recovered from Huntington Lake Ca. Back in the 60's
It looks in fairly good condition considering it's been under water all these years.
Hope those boys got a good look ;D
"The biggest river mystery in Pittsburgh is the sinking of the B25 bomber in the Mon near the Hi-Level Bridge in 1956. The airforce says it is still there but it has never been found! Many people report having seen it being salvaged and hauled away during that same night."
B-25 was the Liberator???
No.
B-24 was Liberator. 25 was Mitchell (US) and Hudson (?) for Brit's.
The Liberator was a B-24, also called "Flying Coffins" by the krauts.
Very cool. I always remembered hearing stories, living in Columbia, that there were B-25s crashed in Lake Murray, but I thought they were just tall tales. There's already a partially-restored B-25 parked in a rotting hangar down at Columbia Owens Downtown; supposedly *somebody* is going to restore it and put it out at Columbia Metro someday. Maybe.
}:-)4
The Hudson was a different plane, built by Lockheed. It's an earlier design than the Mitchell, based on a civilian airliner. Some went to Great Britain under Lend-Lease.
Cool!!
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