The Devil’s Triangle & Fraudulent Research, Part 2 Mark Hatmaker

 

[Bear with me through Parts 1 & 2 as we set the stage for the Revelation in Part 3. While, initially, this may seem to be nothing more than an exploration of the hallmark case of The Bermuda Triangle, it has a direct link to a blackmark on Frontier Historical Research—practically every resource I see on early tomahawk “fighting” and like Eastern Woodland Warfare matters are implicated in this hoax. I know all this seems unrelated but stay with me—the Western-Scholar will be rewarded. Now, dig in, as I’ve been putting this together for a long time, a lotta work here and the revelation, well, stay with me, you’ll see.]

[Oh, and if it’s not already obvious, reading Part 1 is essential to understanding what follows, as the Timeline is continuous in the official military records.]

“Science must begin with myths and with the criticism of myths.”—Karl Popper, Philosopher of Science

THE RESCUE EFFORTS

No aircraft had been scrambled in a rescue effort as position fix had not yet been established. All that was had to go on was the ComGulf Sea Frontier Evaluation Center guesstimate plotted at 5:50 p.m. which placed them east of New Smyrna Beach, Florida over the Atlantic [likely correct] but this butted against Flight Commander Taylor’s continued insistence that he was over the Gulf of Mexico 100+ miles to the west.

Bear in mind, the chatter overheard by the other pilots of Flight 19 did not concur with Lt. Taylor’s incorrect assessment—the chatter confirmed an “Over the Atlantic” fix.

6:20 p.m.

A Dumbo flying boat leaves Dinner Key Seaplane Base in what is essentially a blind search hoping to establish radio contact and a positional fix for Flight 19.

The Dumbo soon fell out of contact and was feared also lost but fortunately it was a problem with antenna icing.

The problem rectified, the Dumbo continued its search to no avail.

7:07 p.m.

Two Martin Mariners designated Training 32 and Training 49 are ordered to assist the search.

One takes off from east of New Smyrna, the last assumed correct positional fix.

7:27 p.m.

Banana River NAS

The second Martin Mariner takes off.

The pilot of the first Mariner, Lt. Gerald Bammerlin of Flight 32 reaches the last assumed positional fix of Flight 19 and later reports:

“When we arrived in the area of Flight 19’s 5:30 position fix, about 8:15, the overcast was at approximately 800 to 1,200 feet. There were occasional showers. The estimated wind was west-southwest 25 to 30 knots. The air was very turbulent the sea very rough. We flew manually on instruments throughout the night, though whitecaps were visible below.”

Loss of Contact with Flight 49

The second Martin Mariner failed to make radio contact or arrive at its rendezvous point for performing search-grid detail.

7:50 p.m.

The crew of the seagoing vessel S.S. Gaines Mill logs seeing an enormous sheet of fire caused by the explosion of an airplane.

They cruise to the area and report an oil slick, some debris but no survivors.

They gather no debris due to ocean turbulence and deteriorating weather.

A Crew of 13 lives perished.

By this point Flight 19 would have depleted its fuel and would also be assumed down like Flight 49.

A crew of 14 gone.

A total of 27 human beings lost.

Search efforts were called off for the night.

Hundreds of planes and ships recommence the search the next day, but no traces of Flights 19 or 49 are found.

Not unusual considering sea and weather conditions at the time of the losses.

THE INVESTIGATION

April 3, 1946

 

The Naval investigation into the loss of Flight 19 concludes and offers the judgment:

“[The] flight leader’s false assurance of identifying the Florida Keys, islands he sighted, plagued his future decisions and confused his reasoning…[H]e was directing his flight to fly east…even though he was undoubtedly east of Florida.”

Lt. Taylor’s mother and aunt “reasoning” through the lens of matronly love refused to accept the verdict.

They appealed to powers that be to re-open the case.

The protest worked, a second Naval Panel viewed the evidence, and in August announced that they could see no discrepancies in the first panel’s investigation and that after a careful review of the evidence could see no other explanation beyond pilot error. Lt. Taylor to be specific.

The two women were outraged at the outcomes of both investigations and hired an attorney who then secured a third hearing in October of 1946.

November 19, 1946

The Board for Correction of Naval Records amends the two original findings to retract the original verdict and had added into the record that the loss of Flight 19 was due to “causes or reasons unknown.”

Two women, not pilots, or aircraft loss investigators, two women who were not even present on the scene trumped the judgment of all experts, all eye and ear witnesses.

They even trumped the other pilots of Flight 19 who were openly discussing disobeying Lt. Taylor’s orders to save their lies and head due west knowing they were over the Atlantic.

What Should Have Been the End of a Sad and Tragic Tale

The Martin Mariner was assumed lost to an electrical spark within the cabin. The Martins had a history of such mishaps—and were known as “flying gas bombs.”

[Sidenote: My own father perished in such a “spark within cabin” incident. These things happen.]

The lack of debris in 50-foot seas is not considered a mystery.

The experienced know that such wave turbulence tearing across the surface of windswept seas and the concomitant beneath surface roiling can take a downed craft to the bottom in seconds.

The story should end here, even the sad story of perverting the investigation outcome.

But…sadly, maddeningly, it does not.

This tragic mundane tale would morph into a cascade of lies.

Lies, not mistakes, of the historical record.

Those lies matter because the truth matters.

Those lies matter because 27 lives were lost, and telling a good tale for the sake of a few bucks is reprehensible.

Those lies matter, that invented dialogue matters, those invented facts matter.

In Part 3, we will discuss those lies and…link it directly to a foundational lie regarding Historical Frontier Research.

The connection is no metaphor.

It is a direct and causal link that calls into question much “research” into early Frontier History.