1947 — Sep 15, USAF B-17 explodes/crashes Bush Riv. at Chesapeake Bay ~Aberdeen MD–9

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard 10-6-2023 for upload to: https://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–9  AP. “Nine Killed in Explosion…Bomber.” Morning Herald, Hagerstown MD 9-16-1947, p1.

–9  Nat. Fire Protec. Assn. “Large Loss Fires of 1947.” Quarterly, V. 41, No. 3, Jan 1948, p. 67.

Narrative Information

Sep 15, AP: “Aberdeen, Md., Sept. 15 (AP) = Capt. Charles W. Warmack, 25, of Paris, Tenn., parachuted to safety today to become the only known survivor of ten men aboard a B-17 bomber which exploded and sank in Bush River. Aberdeen Proving Ground officials said the plane was carrying seven other military personnel and two civilian observers….

“Several crash boats attempted to raise the four-engined plane and bodies which were in 90 feet of water. A public relations officer said the plane was carrying bombs to be tested but declined to reveal the type of missile.

“Capt. Warmack, co-pilot of the plane, parachuted safely to the Aberdeen Military Reservation from which the plane took off on a routine training flight.

“A radio message from the U.S. freighter American Ranger reported the plane crashed ‘about 11:22 a.m. off Abbey Point which is at the confluence of Bush River and Chesapeake Bay.’ ‘Suddenly the plane exploded in midair at approximately 1,000 feet elevation,’ Capt. James A. S. Knowlton, skipper of the Ranger, told the Baltimore News-Post in a telephone conversation. ‘One wing blew off, and many small pieces of the plane blew off and burst into flame. The fragments of the shattered plane fell rapidly, crashing into the water near the mouth of Bush River.’” (Associated Press. “Nine Killed in Explosion, Sinking of Army Bomber.” Morning Herald, Hagerstown MD 9-16-1947, p.1.)

Sources

Associated Press. “Nine Killed in Explosion, Sinking of Army Bomber.” Morning Herald, Hagerstown MD 9-16-1947, 1. Accessed 10-6-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/morning-herald-sep-16-1947-p-1/

National Fire Protection Association. “Large Loss Fires of 1947.” Quarterly of the National Fire Protection Association, Vol. 41, No. 3, Jan 1948, pp. 153-195.