Lets not forget the role of Lighter Than Air (LTA) ships during - TopicsExpress



          

Lets not forget the role of Lighter Than Air (LTA) ships during the war. Miami was home to the largest blimp base in the southeast. Blimps were constantly on the hunt for U-Boats in the Straits of Florida, escorting merchant ships, and searching for downed fliers in the Everglades. In July, 1943 Blimp K-74 from Key West NAS was escorting two ships through the straits at midnight when a crewman spotted a surfaced U-Boat (U-134) a half-hour ahead of the ships. The bombardier, AMM2c Isadore Stessel tried to release 2 depth charges while over the sub but they would not release. Gunners on the sub brought down the blimp using a 20mm deck gun. The crew of K-74 floated in life jackets until rescuers picked them up. Sharks attacked the men, killing one sailor, AMM2c Stessel.
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 12:36:08 +0000

Trending Topics



Recently Viewed Topics




© 2015