Historical Notes:

These three Costal Patrol stories have been told to me, in fact many times, they are I believe true, yet never have been documented. I of course as a historian, will stand tall on my Constitutional First Amendments rights, and secondly will also use the Fifth Amendment if forced. So as to protect my sources, and maintain a modicum of confidentially.

The names and the places have been changed to protect the innocent, but dumb.

Scene One, Act One...

The Time: Mid 1943,

Place: Off the mid Atlantic seacoast

Scene : Stinson Voyager circa 1939

The Players: Two CAP pilots, with one acting as an Observer .

As the two weary CAP Pilots/Observers were heading back to base, after a long mission providing escort for a few oil ships heading north along the long and treacherous Atlantic coast line to fuel the fires of some defense plant. All was well, with the aircraft crew, for they spotted no enemy subs and therefore was no need to use up their precious cargo, consisting of one 100 pound bomb, neatly put but precariously mounted below them with wires, bits of metal and spit..

As the long tedious returning flight to base droned on. The pilot got the usual twinkle in his eyes, you know the one.. the one, one gets when they are about to do something mischievous such as acrobatics and to buzz...so he decided to have a little fun..

The pilot now nosed the aircraft down in to a semi steep dive, slowly pulled back on the stick, and proceed to place the airplane into a loop. As the aircraft neared the apex of the loop, both pilots turned to each other. The boyish look quick changed into a look of fear, they turned looked down to their feet, and back at each other. The cold realization came on quickly, noting that normally below them, but now above them, was a 100 Lb. bomb. Whoops!..

Needless to say they did some quick maneuvering and with some tricky flying was able to right the plane smoothly so as not to over stress the fragile bomb mounts.

Closing Scene: All went well, they made it back to base, never telling the Commander or in fact any others about their little misadventure.

Scene Two, Act Two...

The Time: Mid 1943,

Place: Off the mid Atlantic seacoast not far from shore..:

Scene : Fairchild circa 1940

The Players: One CAP pilot, one CAP Observer .

The weather was clear and the sun was bright this fine autumn day in 1943. These two CAP member having been in for almost 10 months, was out flying to develop and enhance their bombing skills. The normally placed hundred pound bomb usually strapped below was now replace with a 100 lb. practice bomb filled with sand...

As they flew around looking for a suitable place to let the practice bomb go.. Which was usually at some sand bar...When out of the corner of their eye they spotted a tugboat pulling what appeared to be an empty barge. They quickly turned to each other, and looked.. The gleam and smile came across to both . Boy, they said what an great target, an empty barge...So they now decided that this barge would be the ideal subject to ‘skip bomb’ [see note] Hey, what can happen from a practice bomb?, they casually said to each other..

So they applied full power made a long sweeping diving turn, headed down to about 1000 feet above the water, and off they went, with the barge in the distance clearly in their sights...

Note: Skip Bombing for the uniformed, is when you have enough forward speed, your height above the water is about 1000 feet. And when your not too far from the target, usually about half or a quarter mile with the target in full view. You release the bomb just above the water, and the object in question dead ahead. The bomb as it hits the water, should skip. Just like a stone sharply thrown, will usually bouncing off a body of water. And the same applies to a bomb, but with each succeeding skip, the bomb should slow down, and when it hits the target, it will usually strike at the waterline, thus providing maximum impact and thus destruction. That is the premise.

So our intrepid flyers were in this "skip bomb" profile, about a half mile from the targeted barge. The practice bomb was released, as the two flyers quickly climbed to see the results of their effort. The bomb hit the water, then skipped once, and then hitting the water skipping a second time, but by the third skip, it now put it over the gunwale of the barge. And now clearly placing it squarely in the center of the barge, the bomb continued on its way, but now passing through the top of the barge and then, coming out the other side. And in so doing made a tremendous hole.

Needless to say the barge started taking on water and very quickly, it fact it was starting to sink. Meanwhile the tugboat crew was waving their fist’s in the air. Our two intrepid flyers quickly turn tail, and headed for the deck, hoping the tugboat and barge crew or anybody else did not get a clear reading of any identifying marking, or aircraft numbers, so as to possibly track them down, and to place the blame.

Closing Scene: As our two shaken crew members flew back to base. after landing, never reporting the training incident. But let me assure you, did in fact keep a wary eye on the newspapers over the next few weeks to see if any mention was made of a barge sinking by a plane

Scene Three, Act Three...

The Time: Late Fall 1942,

Place: The mid Atlantic seacoast about 50 mile off shore..:

Scene : Stinson circa 1940

The Players: One CAP pilot, one CAP Observer .

The mission was long and tedious, as the CAP crew patrolled their sector for the past few hours, both keeping a sharp eye out for signs of German "U" boats. Their concern now deeply felt because, they had heard of a few sinking down south by enemy U-boats, all occurring in the passed few days.. So they intently were watching every ripple or shadows that might appear. Then as a few oil tanker’s passed safely by, their confidence grew.

In the next half hour the flying droned on, then the observer quickly turned his head and yelled!, I see a shadow, and some ripples in the water, over there, quickly pointing to his right. The pilot rapidly turned the aircraft in that direction. And as they flew over the spot where this disturbance was spotted.. All was quite and calm... The two started looking around more intensely. When the pilot now spotted a dark menacing shadow in the water about a quarter mile straight ahead.

Its got to be a sub! they both shouted. The observer commented, Hey, I bet they are following the two vessels that just passed about a half hour ago!... "I bet you right" shouted the pilot...Lets go get them, they both cried..

The pilot made a shallow turn climbed a little, and headed off in the direction of the suspected "U’ boat shadow. The Observer was ready, the door was push a jar, the bomb sight now locked in place, off they went. Ready to do action.

As the neared the sight of the last spotting, the observer, shouted there they are! After seeing a dark shadow silhouetted against the sandy bottom...He yelled to the pilot fly straight to the shadow. Then he leaned over, peered thought the bombsight, and at the proper time pulled the cord releasing the bomb.. Bomb’s Away, he yelled!... As the pilot turned the aircraft around for a better view.

They both saw the tremendous explosion made by the 100 pounder as it hit a solid object. The sea boiled over, and then, lots of Red covered the area!.....Red, said the pilot, where the hell is all this Red coming from! Oh my god, cried the Observer, I think we just hit a whale! ... A whale, you got to be kidding...Oh Shit... cried the pilot.

Closing Scene: The after action report filled by the crew was especially needed now that a bomb had been used. And it was so stated in the report, that the crew saw a disturbance in the water made a decision to act, follow instructions, lined up and dropped the bomb. They did not observed any debris or flotsam. By they believed by their quick action they possibly might have scared off any intruder.

Side-bar