September of 1958 saw Sheridan gathering a complete survey team at the Kufra Oasis. Sheridan based his operation there, relying supplies flown in by Silver City Airways every six weeks. Another purpose of these flights was to ferry personnel back to civilization for their much-needed breaks from field work.
It was on one of these flights, that Sheridan asked the pilot-one Captain McMurchy (Honey was navigating, and Colvin was handling the radio)-to fly to the coordinates provided to Sheridan by Hellewell. McMurchy obliged, and the crashed Liberator appeared again. This was the second time that Sheridan had seen the B-24 (as it was Honey's; Colvin had seen it three times), and he resolved to find a way to reach it on the ground.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Death In the Desert: Lady Be Good...
www.scottflies.com
D'Arcy's chief geologist, Ronald MacLean planned to reconnoiter Application 121's southern territory-on the ground. This was after completion of the June 15, 1958 aerial survey. The idea was to evaluate the area that MacLean wanted to give back to Libya.
So, at the end of June, 1958, MacLean, Sheridan, and a surveyor by the name of Richard M. "Slinger" Woods set out by truck, to inspect the region. At this point, whatever plans Sheridan may have had for making a detour to the crashed Liberator, were derailed early on. The whole survey had to be abandoned almost immediately, because Sheridan's truck broke down in the extreme heat.
D'Arcy's chief geologist, Ronald MacLean planned to reconnoiter Application 121's southern territory-on the ground. This was after completion of the June 15, 1958 aerial survey. The idea was to evaluate the area that MacLean wanted to give back to Libya.
So, at the end of June, 1958, MacLean, Sheridan, and a surveyor by the name of Richard M. "Slinger" Woods set out by truck, to inspect the region. At this point, whatever plans Sheridan may have had for making a detour to the crashed Liberator, were derailed early on. The whole survey had to be abandoned almost immediately, because Sheridan's truck broke down in the extreme heat.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Death in the Libyan Desert: Lady Be Good...
www.scottflies.blogspot.com
Hellewell, Sheridan, and the rest of the party flew the scheduled aerial survey mission on June 15, 1958. During the flight, Hellewell flew over the crashed B-24, giving everyone a much closer look at the wreck.
Aside from being broken in half, the Liberator appeared to be intact, and the survey crew began to believe that at least some of the American airmen survived the crash. Plus, skid-marks were visible, which indicated that the B-24 crash-landed relatively softly.
On the following day, another Silver City Airways employee made a second report of the crashed B-24 to the authorities. This time, it was First Officer Honey reporting the the wreck to the Royal Air Force (RAF). He too, was rebuffed, being told that the desert was splattered with lost airplanes (which was true of British aircraft, but not so much of American bombers- specifically since this wreck was very far from most of the American large-scale bombing areas). The RAF refused to even note the crashed Liberator's position.
Hellewell, Sheridan, and the rest of the party flew the scheduled aerial survey mission on June 15, 1958. During the flight, Hellewell flew over the crashed B-24, giving everyone a much closer look at the wreck.
Aside from being broken in half, the Liberator appeared to be intact, and the survey crew began to believe that at least some of the American airmen survived the crash. Plus, skid-marks were visible, which indicated that the B-24 crash-landed relatively softly.
On the following day, another Silver City Airways employee made a second report of the crashed B-24 to the authorities. This time, it was First Officer Honey reporting the the wreck to the Royal Air Force (RAF). He too, was rebuffed, being told that the desert was splattered with lost airplanes (which was true of British aircraft, but not so much of American bombers- specifically since this wreck was very far from most of the American large-scale bombing areas). The RAF refused to even note the crashed Liberator's position.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Liberator Down: Lady Be Good...
www.scottflies.blogspot.com
Captain Hellewell, along with First Officer Ken W. Honey, and Radio Officer Colvin were hired by D'Arcy to deliver food and equipment to a survey group at the Kufra Oasis on June 14, 1958. The next day, they were to fly the survey party over the Kufra area.
Hellewell's landing at Kufra generated a lot of excitement among the local children, because they'd never seen the mysterious substance used by the crew to keep foodstuffs cold, before.
Well, once the children's excitement over the ice brought by Hellewell and his crew had dissipated, Hellewell was delighted to spot an old friend of his, twenty nine year old Don Sheridan. Sheridan was to be the lead geologist in charge of the next day's survey; he and Hellewell had flown together a few years prior, delivering drilling equipment to places like Oman.
Sheridan was known for his resourcefulness. Some said that he was down right crafty. That night, after Sheridan and the other surveyors had had their fun by frightening Hellewell with stories about night-crawling desert scorpions (Hellewell decided to sleep in his DC-3), Sheridan asked Hellewell for the precise location of the wrecked B-24. After hearing Hellewell's story about the aircraft, Sheridan decided that he would like to find it.
In exchange for providing Sheridan with the crashed bomber's coordinates, Hellewell made Sheridan promise to bring him a souvenir, should he reach the B-24.
Exactly what form this "souvenir" would take, caused some anxiety among the men, because the wreckage was likely to contain human remains.
Captain Hellewell, along with First Officer Ken W. Honey, and Radio Officer Colvin were hired by D'Arcy to deliver food and equipment to a survey group at the Kufra Oasis on June 14, 1958. The next day, they were to fly the survey party over the Kufra area.
Hellewell's landing at Kufra generated a lot of excitement among the local children, because they'd never seen the mysterious substance used by the crew to keep foodstuffs cold, before.
Well, once the children's excitement over the ice brought by Hellewell and his crew had dissipated, Hellewell was delighted to spot an old friend of his, twenty nine year old Don Sheridan. Sheridan was to be the lead geologist in charge of the next day's survey; he and Hellewell had flown together a few years prior, delivering drilling equipment to places like Oman.
Sheridan was known for his resourcefulness. Some said that he was down right crafty. That night, after Sheridan and the other surveyors had had their fun by frightening Hellewell with stories about night-crawling desert scorpions (Hellewell decided to sleep in his DC-3), Sheridan asked Hellewell for the precise location of the wrecked B-24. After hearing Hellewell's story about the aircraft, Sheridan decided that he would like to find it.
In exchange for providing Sheridan with the crashed bomber's coordinates, Hellewell made Sheridan promise to bring him a souvenir, should he reach the B-24.
Exactly what form this "souvenir" would take, caused some anxiety among the men, because the wreckage was likely to contain human remains.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Liberator Down: Lady Be Good...
www.scottflies.blogspot.com
A sight similar to this greeted Hellewell and his crew, when they first spotted the B-24.
Photograph courtesy of the United States Air Force.
Broken in half, wings intact, there seemed to be a quiet dignity about the wrecked bomber. Practical concerns, like a dwindling fuel supply, however, overrode the Silver City crew's reverie. They noted the crashed B-24's position and then headed back to Concession 37.
Since the American markings were still visible on the B-24, a Silver City Airway's employee paid a visit to Wheelus Air Force Base- an American base that was near Tripoli. There, the duty officer dismissed the B-24 sighting, stating that it couldn't be an American airplane, since the U.S. Air Force hadn't operated B-24's since 1947. Why it didn't occur to this officer that the B-24 probably crashed prior to 1947, is a mystery. In fairness, though, very few American wrecks had been sighted as far south as this one. So, the staff at Wheelus took no action.
Further, some oil explorers had discovered some cave drawings, roughly two hundred miles south east of Kufra. In the excitement, the mysterious B-24 was largely forgotten.
Or, so it seemed.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Death In The Desert: Lady Be Good...
www.scottflies.blogspot.com
By the afternoon of May 17, 1958, Hellewell was roughly 7,000 feet above ground level (AGL), and he was droning along, approximately one hundred, fifty miles north of the Kufra rock formations that had been studied previously. This was an especially barren, flat area.
Suddenly, someone in the cockpit (for all of the crew were on the flight deck) asked: "What's that down on the left?" History doesn't record who asked the question.
With fuel running low, Hellewell didn't want to descend for a closer look. Instead, he initiated a shallow turn over the object in the sand, which everyone recognized as an American World War Two bomber.
Hellewell and MacLean immediately identified the wrecked aircraft as a B-24 Liberator.
By the afternoon of May 17, 1958, Hellewell was roughly 7,000 feet above ground level (AGL), and he was droning along, approximately one hundred, fifty miles north of the Kufra rock formations that had been studied previously. This was an especially barren, flat area.
Suddenly, someone in the cockpit (for all of the crew were on the flight deck) asked: "What's that down on the left?" History doesn't record who asked the question.
With fuel running low, Hellewell didn't want to descend for a closer look. Instead, he initiated a shallow turn over the object in the sand, which everyone recognized as an American World War Two bomber.
Hellewell and MacLean immediately identified the wrecked aircraft as a B-24 Liberator.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Liberator Down: Lady Be Good...
www.scottflies.blogspot.com
After picking up MacLean and his assistant, a geologist by the name of Robert B. Holroyd, Hellewell took off again. This time, he headed south west along the western "shore" of the Calanscio Sand Sea.
For five hours, Hellewell flew over the desert, allowing MacLean to give him instructions. MacLean's instructions were on the order of "turn left, so I can look at that hill..", and the like.
The constant changing of direction made dead-reckoning virtually impossible. Plus, two items began to nag at Hellewell. He was running low on fuel, and he wasn't sure how he'd be able to spot the camp at Concession 37, since he'd be returning at dusk, and the camp consisted of a few canvas tents. On top of all this, radio operator Colvin hadn't been able to contact the station at Benghazi at all, so Hellewell had no weather information for the flight back to base.
After picking up MacLean and his assistant, a geologist by the name of Robert B. Holroyd, Hellewell took off again. This time, he headed south west along the western "shore" of the Calanscio Sand Sea.
For five hours, Hellewell flew over the desert, allowing MacLean to give him instructions. MacLean's instructions were on the order of "turn left, so I can look at that hill..", and the like.
The constant changing of direction made dead-reckoning virtually impossible. Plus, two items began to nag at Hellewell. He was running low on fuel, and he wasn't sure how he'd be able to spot the camp at Concession 37, since he'd be returning at dusk, and the camp consisted of a few canvas tents. On top of all this, radio operator Colvin hadn't been able to contact the station at Benghazi at all, so Hellewell had no weather information for the flight back to base.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Death In The Desert: Lady Be Good...
At 35 years of age, Captain Charles P. Hellewell had flown missions during World War Two. Heading to a rendezvous with Ronald MacLean (who, the reader will remember as D'Arcy Exploration's chief geologist), Hellelwell flew a Silver City Airways DC-3 from Tripoli's Idris Airport to Concession 37 on May 16, 1958.
Also on board the DC-3 were First Officer (co-pilot/navigator) Tony G. Hunt, 34, and Radio Officer Bill Colvin, 28.
Hellewell was instructed to spend the night at Concession 37, and then fly MacLean on his aerial survey of the Kufra Mountain rock formations, which were located in the southern section of Application 121. En route, they were also supposed to figure out if a road could be built, in order to connect Concession 37 and Application 121's northern section.
www.scottflies@blogspot.com
Also on board the DC-3 were First Officer (co-pilot/navigator) Tony G. Hunt, 34, and Radio Officer Bill Colvin, 28.
Hellewell was instructed to spend the night at Concession 37, and then fly MacLean on his aerial survey of the Kufra Mountain rock formations, which were located in the southern section of Application 121. En route, they were also supposed to figure out if a road could be built, in order to connect Concession 37 and Application 121's northern section.
www.scottflies@blogspot.com
Friday, February 7, 2014
Liberator Down: Lady Be Good...
www.scottflies.blogspot.com
Whatever his concerns about dead reckoning navigation, MacLean's worries were offset by the confidence he had in his Silver City Airways aircrews. These were experienced airmen, with a sense of adventure and a cognizance of the importance of their work.
Captain Charles P. Hellewell was one of these men.
Whatever his concerns about dead reckoning navigation, MacLean's worries were offset by the confidence he had in his Silver City Airways aircrews. These were experienced airmen, with a sense of adventure and a cognizance of the importance of their work.
Captain Charles P. Hellewell was one of these men.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Death in the Desert: Lady Be Good...
Vanishing, seemingly without a trace....
www.scottflies@blogspot.com
"Application 121" covered an immense area. It stretched three hundred miles from north to south, and two hundred, fifty miles from east to west. Harsh would be an understatement in describing Application 121's landscape. In some places, there were towering dunes which rose six hundred feet above sea level. The northern section of Application 121 was a barren gravelly area, which did not have any identifiable landmarks. Well, there were a few rock formations, but that was about it. The southern section was more mountainous and rocky.
Because Application 121 covered so much area, the Libyan Petroleum Commission decided that Application 121 should be cut by twenty five percent. The question facing Ronald G. MacLean, D'Arcy Explorations Chief Geologist, was: which part of Application 121 should be bypassed?
There were no aerial photographs of the area, and the available maps dated back to World War Two. Obviously, aerial surveys were needed.
A World War Two military pilot himself, MacLean was painfully aware of the problems faced by aircrew flying over barren, featureless terrain, when utilizing "dead (i.e. "deduced") reckoning" navigation methods.
www.scottflies@blogspot.com
"Application 121" covered an immense area. It stretched three hundred miles from north to south, and two hundred, fifty miles from east to west. Harsh would be an understatement in describing Application 121's landscape. In some places, there were towering dunes which rose six hundred feet above sea level. The northern section of Application 121 was a barren gravelly area, which did not have any identifiable landmarks. Well, there were a few rock formations, but that was about it. The southern section was more mountainous and rocky.
Because Application 121 covered so much area, the Libyan Petroleum Commission decided that Application 121 should be cut by twenty five percent. The question facing Ronald G. MacLean, D'Arcy Explorations Chief Geologist, was: which part of Application 121 should be bypassed?
There were no aerial photographs of the area, and the available maps dated back to World War Two. Obviously, aerial surveys were needed.
A World War Two military pilot himself, MacLean was painfully aware of the problems faced by aircrew flying over barren, featureless terrain, when utilizing "dead (i.e. "deduced") reckoning" navigation methods.
Monday, February 3, 2014
Death In The Desert: Lady Be Good..
The oil companies scouring the Libyan desert for oil relied on subcontractors for support. These subcontractors consisted of firms and individuals. Geologists, seismic specialists, cooks, etc. were needed, as were aerial survey/exploration/cargo-hauling aircraft and the crews to operate them.
An outfit called Silver City Airways owned a fleet of aircraft that were based at both Benghazi and at Tripoli. The company got most of its work from Esso (now known as Exxon), but the firm also took on work for BP and its subsidiary, D'Arcy Exploration Company, Ltd.
The regions being explored for oil were divided into individual "concessions", which were identified numerically. One of the concessions granted to D'Arcy Exploration was assigned the number 37, and it was located on the Cyrenaica region of Libya.
Quite a ways south of Concession Number 37 was a largely unexplored region for which D'Arcy had applied for permission to explore (from the Libyan government), which was called "Application 121."
An outfit called Silver City Airways owned a fleet of aircraft that were based at both Benghazi and at Tripoli. The company got most of its work from Esso (now known as Exxon), but the firm also took on work for BP and its subsidiary, D'Arcy Exploration Company, Ltd.
The regions being explored for oil were divided into individual "concessions", which were identified numerically. One of the concessions granted to D'Arcy Exploration was assigned the number 37, and it was located on the Cyrenaica region of Libya.
Quite a ways south of Concession Number 37 was a largely unexplored region for which D'Arcy had applied for permission to explore (from the Libyan government), which was called "Application 121."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)