Marine Corps League Detachment #504 Honors 32 Marines Killed on Mt. Rainier at 12 Noon, on Saturday, August 30, 2014 at Veterans Memorial Park, Enumclaw, WA On December 10, 1946, six Curtis Commando R5C transport planes carrying more than 200 U.S. Marines leave San Diego en route to Seattle. The aircraft, flying entirely by instruments at an altitude of 9,000 feet, encountered heavy weather over southwest Washington. Four turn back, landing at the Portland Airport; one manages to land safely in Seattle, but the sixth plane, carrying 32 Marines, vanishes. Search-and-rescue aircraft, hampered by continuing bad weather, are unable to fly for a week and ground searches prove fruitless. After two weeks, the search for the missing aircraft is suspended. The Navy determines that the aircraft was blown off course by high winds and flew into the side of Mount Rainier (14,410 feet). In July 1947, a ranger at Mount Rainier National Park spots wreckage on South Tahoma Glacier. Search parties examine the debris and confirm that it came from the missing plane. Four weeks later, the bodies are found high on the face of the glacier, but extremely hazardous conditions force authorities to abandon plans to remove them for burial. The 32 U.S. Marines remain entombed forever on Mount Rainier. In 1946, it was the worst accident, in numbers killed aboard an aircraft, in United States aviation history and remains Mount Rainier’s greatest tragedy. Here is a link to the full story: historylink.org/_content/printer_friendly/pf_output.cfm?file_id=7820 Here is a link to the MCL #504 photo gallery page with pictures of past ceremonies: mcldet504.org/image/tid/13
Posted on: Wed, 27 Aug 2014 15:45:40 +0000
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