The Rise of the "Loch Quioch Bomber" 1944 ...

[Mark Allen M]

Below Per Joe Baugher's database:

Boeing B-17G-20-BO Fortress 42-31604 delivered Denver Nov 28, 1943; Cheyenne Dec 12, 1943; Kearney Dec 22, 1943; Meeks Field Jan 4, 1944;
Assigned to Soxo at CFB Goose Bay, Labrador as replacement a/c to RAF Nutts Corner, N. Ireland Jan 13, 1944.
On ferry flight from Labrador to Ireland on 13 Jan 1944, B-17G 42-31604 was forced to ditch in Loch Quich, Inverness, Scotland due to the loss of two engines. RTD,
Salvaged RAF Feb 28, 1944. (FORTLOG)

Below Per https://acia.co.uk/1944/01/13/b17-42-31604/

Accident Details

The aircraft was on a transatlantic ferry flight from Goose Bay to Nutts Corner when, 600 miles off the Scottish coast, it suffered an engine failure, the wireless went u/s and the pilot decided to ditch in Loch Quoich on the western coast of Scotland.

Four crew bailed out into the loch but sadly Sgt Leonard was drowned.

The Crash Site

The aircraft was salvaged by members of 56 Maintenance Unit based at Inverness and they beached the aircraft on 29th February 1944, after a month’s work. The aircraft was broken up on the shore and removed in sections to the nearest road some considerable distance away.

The Loch is large so pinpointing the exact location where the aircraft was beached proved difficult. It wasn’t until we realised that the level of the Loch was raised when it was dammed in the 1950’s that the pieces of the jigsaw came into place. In the background of the contemporary photos a sizeable building can be seen which isn’t present on modern day maps. This building, historically the only sizeable construction on the shore of the Loch, turned out to be Glenquoich Lodge which is now under water.

It seems that the aircraft was brought ashore just to the west of the lodge and removed along the very narrow road out of the glen.


Floatation bags were used to bring the B17 to the surface of the Loch. In the background is what we believe to be Glenquoich Lodge. (credit James Clague)


The B-17 appears on the surface and is prepared to be dragged ashore. (credit James Clague)


The B17 having been dragged ashore. (credit James Clague)


Another view of the B-17 on the shore of Loch Quoich. Note the Port inboard propeller and starboard outboard propellers are in the feathered position. The peninsula of Rudha Liath is behind. (credit James Clague)


Recent view of same area on the Loch.

[spriso]

Really great pics! Thank you for posting.

[lucky52]

I wonder why they pulled it out.

[Hunterfan]

[quote="lucky52"]I wonder why they pulled it out.[/quote

I don't know for sure but possibly the Loch was a drinking water supply?

[shrike]

I wonder why they pulled it out.

Because it's a brand new bomber and there was a war on?
A month in cold fresh water would be easily remediated

[lucky52]

Maybe so shrike,I don't know.I just figured there were plenty planes around That one looks like the chin turrent was ripped out, possible damage from dragging it onshore, new engines, props,instruments,radios,anything electrical was water soaked.

[airnutz]

Only a month in fresh water...brand new starters, generators, magnetos, and engines or engine parts etc. I imagine repair depot's mouths would be watering at the chance to pull those parts and stock 'em after refurb. Flush 'em, dry 'em, lubricate.
Parts is parts!!

[JohnB]

Too bad they didn't recover it.
Imagine a recovery effort from the '70s - on...it would still be with us.

In the UK there is the unrestored Loch Ness Wellington at Brooklands, a lake recovered Halifax, in unrestored (poor, IMHO) condition at Hendon and Canada has a Halifax recovered from a lake in Norway and very well restored and displayed.

Conversly, a well preserved B-17 was recovered from a Swiss lake in the '60s (IIRC), was scrapped since no one apparently wanted it.

[Paul Stroud]

The Brooklands Wellington has actually been restored, the museum left the aircraft partially uncovered to show off the geodetic construction and the propellors are unstraightened but otherwise it is complete. Agree with you about the Hendon Halifax, though I think the decision to leave it as recovered was financial rather than anything else. They even made a start on it, the front turret was rebuilt but now looks incongruous parked on the wreckage.

https://www.brooklandsmuseum.com/explor ... ngton-mk1a

https://www.waymarking.com/gallery/defa ... 80c4&gid=2

[shrike]

Only a month in fresh water...brand new starters, generators, magnetos, and engines or engine parts etc. I imagine repair depot's mouths would be watering at the chance to pull those parts and stock 'em after refurb. Flush 'em, dry 'em, lubricate.
Parts is parts!!

...and landing gear and brakes and tires, and turrets and oxygen systems and radios and gun mounts and ammo boxes and oil coolers and windscreens and flap motors and yokes and rudder pedals and that one bracket that always breaks, but no one can figure out the part number because it's part of a bigger assembly in the book...

[p51]

I wonder why they pulled it out.

Because it's a brand new bomber and there was a war on?
A month in cold fresh water would be easily remediated

By 1944, B-17s weren't hard to get, nor parts for them. That seems like a huge expenditure in time and resources for a plane they likely wouldn't have done much with other than turning her into scrap.
Someone really didn't want to answer to their CO for losing all the .50 caliber machine guns?
Yeah, it doesn't make much sense to me...

[Mark Sampson]

If nothing else, there was a recovery team that wasn't busy enough, and the CO gave them an assignment.
"My boys can do anything..."

[Hunterfan]

[quote="Mark Sampson"]If nothing else, there was a recovery team that wasn't busy enough, and the CO gave them an assignment.
"My boys can do anything..."[/quote]

There were so many aircraft accidents occurring at the time, the RAF maintenance unit recovery teams had more than enough to keep themselves busy.

But I agree with p51, the factories in the USA were turning out so much material that the effort required to separate, dismantle, inspect and re-label waterlogged parts from a wreck just wasn't worth it.

Just my opinion.

[Mark Allen M]

Perhaps the locals demanded it be pulled out. Also perhaps the ditching was close enough to shore it seemed the right thing to do.

[JohnB]

By 1944, B-17s weren't hard to get, nor parts for them. That seems like a huge expenditure in time and resources for a plane they likely wouldn't have done much with other than turn her into scrap.

Yeah, it doesn't make much sense to me...

While I don't disagree, let me point out that even into 1944, you would see "parts-bin specials", B-17s sporting lots of parts and assemblies it wasn't built with.
We have all seen photos of B-17s with OD wing or tail sections on NMF aircraft. One, "Little Mi schief" ended up flying with parts of 13 other Fortresses.

So, while you probably correct in the overall scheme of things, there must have been serviceability or spares issues for some units to go to extraordinary measures at least some of the time.