[luton loyal]

[Hunted]

Lafayette, former Normandie, fire in the New York Harbour. See fire video below.

On the 29th of October 1932, three years of the day after the Wall Street crashed, the most powerful steamed turbo electric propel passenger ship ever constructed was launched in front of 200,000 people lining the banks of the Loire River in France. But the infamous place associated with the French Lines SS Normandy would on the other side of the world—New York Harbor to be exact in 1942. After the fall of France in 1940, the US Government seized the Normandy and in 1941 the Navy decided to convert her into a Troupe Ship called the USS Lafayette. But on the 9th of February the following year, the ship was moored at Manhattans Pier 88, the sparks from a welding torch ignited the capo used to stuff the thousand of life jackets stored in first class dining room. With the ships fire protection system disabled during the conversion, the fire spread rapidly and hoses of the New York City Fire Department did not fit the ships French design inwards. All on board abandoned the ship, as firefighters on shore spread water on the flames, the ship developed a dangerous lean to port due to the great amount of water being pumped into the seaward side of the vessel by fire hose. The ships designer, Vladimir Yourkevitch have been at the scene and it suggested opening the seacoast thus flooding the lower decks in causing the ship to settled a few feet to the bottom of the dock. To stabilized, water could be pumped into the burning areas without the risk of capsize. However, this suggestion was not acted upon, around 2:45 AM the next morning the ship capsized crushing a fire boat as she went over. It was a year before the expensive salvage operation could finally write the Normandy but the proposed restoration was deemed simply too costly. Yourkevitch wanted to restore her in a cut down version but could find no backers for his plan. She was sold to the savage company for just over $160,000.00 and scrapped the mere four years later.

[smackem]

No love for Hunted? Did all the work in this thread.


Good stuff!

[Hunted]

Caption: Engine of an American B-26 Marauder bomber falling off after plane was hit by ground fire over the French city of Toulon. (Photo by Time Life Pictures/Us Air Force/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

Photo was taken by tail gunner of plane just in front, several members of the crew were able to bail out and survive this.

[Hunted]

#1 This remarkable series of photographs was taken during a bombing run on May 19, 1944 over Berlin. It shows a mishap which occurred when the bombs from one Flying Fortress struck and damaged one of the horizontal stabilizers of the tail of a B-17 which was beneath it. In this photo bombs are seen dropping toward the Fortress. The first bomb is about to strike the left stabilizer.

#2 The stabilizer dangles from the plane after having been struck by the bomb. Since the preceding photograph was taken, two more bombs have dropped from the bomb bays of the photographer's Fortress. The damaged B-17 is also dropping its explosive load.

#3 Despite its damaged tail surfaces, the B-17 continues on its course. The bomb which struck the stabilizer was deflected by the impact and can be seen, pointed in a different direction from its companions, silhouetted against the clouds.

The B-17 went straight down and crashed, with all crew lost.

"Miss Donna Mae II"
Boeing B-17G-20-BO Flying Fortress
s/n 42-31540
332nd Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force
Lost on the May 19,1944 mission to Berlin,Germany. All eleven men aboard were KIA. MACR 4946
The plane drifted out of position and under another B-17(Lockheed-Vega B-17G-30-VE s/n 42-97791 named "Trudy" also from the 332nd) while on the bomb run. One of the upper planes 1,000lb. bombs tore the left horizontal stabilizer off and sent the plane into an uncontrollable spin, trapping the crew inside. The stress from the spin tore the wings off at around 13,000 feet.

1st Lt. Marion U. Reid - Pilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Lewis T. Carter - Copilot (KIA)
2nd Lt. Roger F. Tessier - Navigator (KIA)
2nd Lt. Stanley D. Duffield - Bombardier (KIA)
T/Sgt. Lee Z. Kieffer - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner (KIA)
T/Sgt. John F. Boone - Radio Operator (KIA)
T/Sgt. John B. Davis - Radar Operator (KIA)
S/Sgt. Ludwig H. Huth - Ball Turret Gunner (KIA)
S/Sgt. Richard E. Brennan - Right Waist Gunner (KIA)
S/Sgt. James A. Kalahar - Left Waist Gunner (KIA)
S/Sgt. Willard M. Christensen - Tail Gunner (KIA)

[smackem]

I love this thread.

[michmi]

That bridge was certainly a piece of shit, wasn't it?

[Pyramid_Head]

Cool pictures!

[croixone]

awsome