Fri, 20 Dec 2013

Flight 19, The Bermuda Mystery


The Bermuda Triangle is perhaps one of the most intriguing mysteries in the history of man or at least of the 20th century. Also called the Devil's Triangle, this area in the North Atlantic Ocean is the site of a number of disappearances and other inexplicable occurrences. One such baffling event and perhaps the most well-known concerns the fateful voyage of 14 people on board 5 planes now often referred to as Flight 19, The Bermuda Mystery.


Flight 19, Lieutenant Charles Taylor


The events of Flight 19 Mystery took place on the 5th of December, 1945. It was supposed to be a routine training mission for 14 American flyers aboard their military planes known as Avengers. Little did these airmen and everybody else knew that this mission would be their last. Or is it?

Lieutenant Charles Taylor was the flight leader for this group of Avenger bombers. Lt. Taylor was the only experienced pilot in the lot as he was tasked to look over the training of his fellow airmen. His group left the Naval Air Station of Fort Lauderdale in Florida around 2 in the afternoon on that typically sunny yet historic day. That was the last time anyone has seen the men or the planes.

The Avenger planes were supposed to go East towards Hens and Chicken Shoals for their bombing exercises then proceed 67 miles further to the Bahamas. Once there, they were bound 73 miles further to the North before returning to the same Naval base in Florida.

The training mission was going smoothly until Taylor reported that his compass was not working properly and that he thought he was somewhere along the Florida Keys. This indicated that Taylor believed that they flew South instead of East. This was around 3:30 p.m. and would signal a series of events that would lead to the Flight 19, The Bermuda Mystery.


Messages From The Flight


The control tower had no way to know if the airmen were indeed over the Florida Keys. Taylor and his group were told to fly north for Miami if he was certain they were near the chain of island in South Florida. In fact, Taylor was heading East but because of the confusion, the group of bombers went North. At one point, a trainee reportedly said that if they turned West they would be heading home. He was correct.

The group's other transmissions made the case of Flight 19, The Bermuda Mystery more puzzling. Captain Edward Powers was heard saying, "I don't know where we are. We must have got lost after that last turn". Another transmission said "Everything looks strange, even the ocean." A different voice mentioned, "It looks like we're entering white water... we're completely lost."


Flight 19 Disappeared

After the series of messages above, there were no other transmissions for quite a long time. The next one came around 6:20 pm but was hard to understand. This would be the last anyone would ever hear Flight 19.

Problems with communications and the fact that it was already around 7 in the evening prompted a search operation. Two Martin Mariner planes were tasked with the job of finding the airmen. They failed. Worst of all, one of the Mariners were also never to be seen again.

The unfortunate saga of Flight 19 will forever be embedded in the pages of every mystery book. Unless someone comes forward with rock solid evidence of the fate of the 14 airmen and their Avenger planes, Flight 19, The Bermuda Mystery will forever be that... a mystery.

Flight 19 Disappeared Over The Bermuda Triangle On December 5, 1945.



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