Swamp Ghost has been sold and should be come to.........

[Mark_Pilkington]

Rob,

I'm not in a position to argue about who owns the Swamp Ghost, I am only pleased someone does, and its coming out of the swamp, I am only posting pics and links that I found of interest elsewhere.

I know you have some inside info on this project, however it is very confusing to the rest of us in regards to what is going on? and by whom? as this article shows.

but at lease we finally have some pics!!!!!!

I am sure sooner or later the full situation will be clarified publically, I assume there will be massive media coverage in the US when the aircraft arrives.

Perhaps you can encourage some type of official statement to be made as to the future plans for the aircraft etc??

My main interest in all this is that it finally has happened after all these years!!!

regards

Mark P

[TAdan]

I never thought this one would be recovered...wow! Great shots of the fuselage. You dont usually see them recovered in such large pieces.

[TimAPNY]

Great news and a few pictures to boot! I'm very glad to see this aircraft saved. I hope this is a start of more recoveries.

Tim

[Alan Brooks]

Good job Rob! Congrats to DT and all of the others involved, from all continents..... I will also echo the sentiment.... never thought this bird would leave the swamp. Hopefully several others will not be far behind.. but AVM Parker may certainly be correct, there may be some political fall-out. My personal thoughts....get them out NOW, while you can..... Alan

[Shay]

Can any of you with your ears to the ground say whether or not Swamp Ghost is still within PNG borders? Or has she shipped out yet?

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[RMAllnutt]

This is really great news. From the press reports, it sounded like they moved her from the swamp in one piece, before taking her apart on the dock. Is that true! That seems an incredible, not to mention risky, way of doing things. Mind you, I have seen photos of a catalina being lifted whole, and that's nearly as big as a B-17. It's just that I am amazed that an aircraft that's been sitting in a swamp like that could be sure of not ripping up under such circumstances... especially as she probably has tons of sediment in the wings/fuselage. Fascinating stuff, and great that she's finally out. I just hope that they get her home safely... and really hope they restore her as a static, rather than replace half of her to fly.

Cheers,
. .Richard

[FlyingFortB17]

B17 ditched off Cooktown is B17E 41-9196 and is visable from the air and largely intact

Anymore info or pictures on this plane?

[B-29 Super Fort]

I'm curious as to the recovery method, I assume some heavy lift helicopter?

[B-29 Super Fort]

I'm curious as to the recovery method, I assume some heavy lift helicopter?

[Jase]

OK. Recovery was performed by Penndel Towing & Recovery of Penndel PA. Here's a link to the pics. HOWEVER: I'm sure that the owner of Penndel will be checking out this board. What y'all need to remember is that we on the board weren't onsite, and it really sucks to be second guessed from afar. I am intimately familiar with heavy recoveries, and Penndel has a STERLING reputation in the field. SO, respectful comments are one thing, but I don't want to hear any slamming of techniques. Also remember that the Swamp Ghost has been sitting in a swamp for 60 years, and fasteners had to have been totally corroded. There are some pics where fairings were cut thru to access attach points. The fairings were corroded anyway, as can be told by looking at the pics.

Enjoy, but be kind.

<Webshots page down due to high traffic>

Last edited by Jase on Tue May 23, 2006 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[B-29 Super Fort]

[quote="Jase"]OK. Recovery was performed by Penndel Towing & Recovery of Penndel PA. Here's a link to the pics. HOWEVER: I'm sure that the owner of Penndel will be checking out this board. What y'all need to remember is that we on the board weren't onsite, and it really sucks to be second guessed from afar. I am intimately familiar with heavy recoveries, and Penndel has a STERLING reputation in the field. SO, respectful comments are one thing, but I don't want to hear any slamming of techniques. Also remember that the Swamp Ghost has been sitting in a swamp for 60 years, and fasteners had to have been totally corroded. There are some pics where fairings were cut thru to access attach points. The fairings were corroded anyway, as can be told by looking at the pics.

Enjoy, but be kind.


Many thanks for the pics!

Last edited by B-29 Super Fort on Wed May 24, 2006 5:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Randy Haskin]

Awesome...great photos, thanks.

[APG85]

WOW ! ! ! ! ! !

[setter]

Hi Guys

The b17 lost off cooktown B17E 41-9196 was called CLOWN HOUSE and crashed/ditched on 29 Oct 1942 due to Mechanical failure

I can find no pics of it in situ at present but there are frequent dives on it so there must be some somewhere?


Regards
John P

Last edited by setter on Tue May 23, 2006 8:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[m50a1ontos]

Well it looks like a job well done to me! that low oxygen swamp slime it's been sitting in the last 60 years really helped save it. The fact that they could sling it like they did tells me she's in excellent shape structurely. If she were a rotten tomatoe she'd a crumbled. Cutting wing and engine attach points is a no brainer to me, those things would get replaced any way, even for a static display. Simply unsafe to rely on corroded load bearing points like that.

Lets hope she comes home soon...where she is in Lae is far more corrosive than back in that swamp!

Silly question time <if anybody's read this far >

The lower turret doesn't look like a ball....would this have been fired by some kind of remote gunsite or by the gunner kneeling on the floor?

Or did most of the turret get sheared away and it only looks like and inverted top turret....