Megan Martinez
1301 Composition
Professor Hammett
Research Essay
How
does a routine navigation exercise lead to the disappearance of 27 men and 6
aircrafts in one afternoon? On December 5, 1945 Lt. Charles Carroll Taylor
reported that he and his crew on Flight 19 were lost on their flight from the
Bahamas to Fort Lauderdale, then they simply vanished. Not long after, a PBM
Mariner rescue boat was sent to find the missing men, however shortly after
they were dispatched, they disappeared as well. Their disappearance launched
one of the largest searches in history, but despite efforts to find them no
trace of the crews were ever found (Bloom 1). This mystery was the beginning of
the legend of the Bermuda Triangle. Some have come to believe that the disappearances
in this imaginary triangle are due to violent weather, methane hydrates or even
an area where paranormal activity takes place (Christensen 1). Let’s explore
the different conspiracy theories to discover what happened to Flight 19
Charles
Carroll Taylor was a bold man when it came to his duties as a Naval Instructor.
After his crew on Flight 19 completed their bombing exercise, they were
tormented with bad weather. This led Taylor to believe that the compasses on
their plane were malfunctioning and the crew was lost overseas. The typical
response to being lost in the Atlantic is to point your plane toward the
setting sun to lead you to the mainland, however Taylor made the decision to
take the plane away from the setting sun because he believed he was over the
Gulf of Mexico. This decision was against the wishes of the other pilots on
board, the other pilots can be heard on the radio complaining that they should
be flying west in order to make it home. But despite their input Taylor made
the decision to stick to his gut and fly the plane the way he wanted to (Andrews
1). Although his boldness was admired by most of his peers in the military, it
was this decision that is one of the possible causes of the disappearance of
Flight 19.
Despite
being a well-respected and experienced pilot, Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor
was also known for his carelessness. A Navy combat air crewman at the time,
John Evans, said “There were rumors that he (Lt. Charles Carroll Taylor) was so
hung over that he had a hard time making it to the flight line” (Kaye 1). Many
crew members reported that when Taylor woke up on the morning of the flight
that he wasn’t feeling well and he simply didn’t feel like leading a squadron
of TBM Avengers (Kaye 1). Taylor even tried to find a replacement flight
instructor, but he had bailed on previous flights and he had not completed his
required flying hours for the month, so he was given an order to fly (Sun-Senteniel1).
Taylor then arrived at the preflight meeting 25 minutes late. This was not the
first time that Lt. Charles Carroll Taylor proved his carelessness, “Taylor had
been lost on three previous occasions and had to ditch his plane in the water
each time” (Kaye 1). According to Kusche, a technical writer for an aviation
engine manufacturer, “Taylor, was simply careless” (Kaye 1). Taylor had made many mistakes as a flight
instructor before, but it is possible that this mistake is what cost him and
his other crewmen their lives.
Lieutenant
Charles Carroll Taylor was a lost soul and a loner. Charles Carroll Taylor was
described as being a “Hollywood handsome,” (Kaye 1) he was tall and thin with
dark hair, so it is no surprise that he had an easy time picking up ladies. Some
people even speculated that Taylor was dating the famous actress, Jinx
Falkenberg around the time of the disappearance of Flight 19. Others believed
Taylor had had recently gone through a break up with a girl whose identity was
kept a secret from his fellow pilots and closest friends. Taylor was a closed
book when it came to his personal life, but according to his family, despite
being handsome enough to pick up any girl he desired, he wasn’t interested in
women. His family and close friends claim that he had no interests or passions
and he just “wandered through life” (Kaye 1). His family and friends also
shared that the only reason Taylor stayed in the Navy after the end of the war
was because he simply didn’t know what else to do with his life. According to
Kusche, a researcher and technical writer, “He (Taylor) didn’t have a goal, he
was not a go-getter” (Kaye 1). Taylor was a very closed off, low-key and somewhat
mysterious person, so he had a very uncertain future ahead of him.
Although
many people remember Lt. Charles Carroll Taylor for the mistakes he made and
the mysteries he left behind, Charles Carroll Taylor was a hard-working and
determined man. Taylor served in WWII at the US Naval Reserve and graduated
from a school in his hometown of Corpus Christi in 1942. Not long after he
graduated, Taylor became a flight instructor and from 1942-1945 he served on 4
different squadrons and had over 2,509 flight hours (McElhiney 1). While it is
very easy for us to focus on Lt. Taylor’s negative qualities, he was a brave
soldier who fought for his country and he deserves our respect.
One
of the conspiracies behind the disappearance of Flight 19 is that there was a
sudden and unexpected shift to violent weather. According to a team of
meteorologists:
With
hurricanes, storms, and cyclones, these strange weather conditions can get
ships and planes in trouble very quickly. Recorded weather changes have
sometimes been so fast and powerful that they are likened to bomb explosions,
easily powerful enough to bring down aircraft and sink ships. Of all the
theories, this one seems like the most likely to be true. Highly volatile
weather conditions, coupled with the Gulf Stream, could easily account for
disasters and disappearances of all sorts of vehicles in this region. (Bermuda
Triangle and Conspiracy Theories 1)
This conspiracy is widely
believed, because it was reported that before Flight 19 took off that the
weather conditions were seemingly normal with slight winds and choppy waters.
However, Charles Carroll Taylor and his crew reported that once they were in
the air the weather conditions worsened and they no longer knew which direction
they were headed. Shortly after the crew told the base radios they were lost,
the signal between the aircraft and the base was lost as well, and Flight 19
was never seen or heard again (Barclay 1).
Another widely believed conspiracy about the
disappearance of Flight 19 is the large methane hydrates under the sea floor.
“These methane hydrates can burst causing a large amount of methane to come to
the surface and release a lot of energy” (Bhattacharya 1). When this energy
escapes from underground into the air, it makes for a very turbulent atmosphere
which can lead aircrafts to crash (Bhattacharya 1). When methane hydrates
burst, it does not take long for the gas to saturate the atmosphere, so many
aircrafts crash before they get the opportunity to call for help (Bermuda
Triangle and Conspiracy Theories 1). This conspiracy would explain the sudden
disappearance of Flight 19 and why the search crew also never returned.
Lastly, some people believe the mysterious disappearances
are due to supernatural or extraterrestrial activity. Some people believe that
this is an area where aliens and UFOs attempt to make contact with humans, or
even abduct them (Bhattacharya 1). Others believe that this is where the Lost
City of Atlantis once stood. It is believed that this great city was ahead of
its time and had all kinds of technology that the rest of the world didn’t know
about. However, it is believed that this civilization was hit by a great flood
that completely submerged the city and its population. So, some people believe
“that the city was located somewhere in this area and that the radiation
emanating from the submerged devices causes the electronic equipment on ships
and planes to go crazy,” (The Bermuda Triangle and Conspiracy Theories 1).
There are a lot of different conspiracies surrounding the
mystery behind the disappearance of Flight 19 and the Bermuda Triangle. In a
recent survey 48.98% of people believe that Flight 19 disappeared due to
abnormally bad weather (including turbulence caused by methane hydrates).
Adding on to this, 18.37% of people believe Flight 19 disappeared as a result
of paranormal activity and 6.12% of people believe the disappearance was due to
bad piloting. However, 26.53% of people believe that the disappearance was just
a coincidence and is not tied to any conspiracy theories.
On December 5, 1945 Flight 19 and its crew simply
vanished without a trace. Despite extensive search efforts, the crew from
Flight 19 couldn’t be found (Bloom 1). This mystery has led to the development
of different conspiracy theories, some believe that the disappearances are due
to violent weather, underground methane hydrates, or even paranormal activity.
Since this disaster, other planes and ships have gone missing without a trace
in this same area, and the reason why is still unknown.
Works
Cited
S
Andrews, Evan. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Flight 19.” History.com,
A&E Television Networks, 4 Dec. 2015, www.history.com/news/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-flight-19.
S Barclay, Shelly. “The Disappearance of
Flight 19.” Historic Mysteries, 22 Oct. 2017, www.historicmysteries.com/flight-19/.
T Bhattacharya, Raj. “Bermuda Triangle
Theories That Will Stun You.” Bermuda Attractions, www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_000061.htm.
S Bhattacharya, Raj. “Methane Gas in Bermuda
Triangle.” Bermuda Attractions, www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_0000a1.htm.
S
Kaye, Ken. “50 YEARS AFTER THE LOST PATROL: VANISHING OF 27 STILL A MYSTERY.”
Sun, Sun Senteniel, 3 Oct. 2018, www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1995-12-03-9512030179-story.html.
P
McElhiney, Allan. “Taylor.” Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum, 10 Aug.
2010, www.nasflmuseum.com/taylor.html
S
Sun-Sentinel, South Florida. “LEGEND OF THE LOST PATROL.” Sun, Sun Senteniel, 8
Oct. 2018, www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-12-01-8502240419-story.html.
S “The Bermuda Triangle & Conspiracy
Theories.” WorldWeet, 2018, www.worldweet.com/conspiracy-theories-about-bermuda-triangle/.
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