Members of the Flight 19 crew which disappeared in 1945.(History.com)
At 2:10 p.m., five U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo-bombers comprising Flight 19
take off from the Ft. Lauderdale Naval Air Station in Florida on a routine three-
hour training mission. Flight 19 was scheduled to take them due east for 120
miles, north for 73 miles, and then back over a final 120-mile leg that would
return them to the naval base. They never returned.
Two hours after the flight began, the leader of the squadron, who had been
flying in the area for more than six months, reported that his compass and
back-up compass had failed and that his position was unknown. The other
planes experienced similar instrument malfunctions. Radio facilities on land
were contacted to find the location of the lost squadron, but none were
successful. After two more hours of confused messages from the fliers, a
distorted radio transmission from the squadron leader was heard at 6:20
p.m., apparently calling for his men to prepare to ditch their aircraft due
to a lack of fuel.
Five U.S. Navy Grumman TBF-1 Avengers from Escort Scouting Squadron 29 (VGS-29) flying in formation over Norfolk, Virginia.
