US Naval Aviators Once Complained That NASA Pilots Were Bullying Them
In 1976, the US Navy retired its fleet of Vought F-8 Crusaders. The aircraft had an illustrious career, with the greatest kill ratio of all…
Downed Nakajima B5N2 Torpedo Bomber Off the Coast of Papua New Guinea
During the Second World War, the Nakajima B5N emerged as one of the most formidable aircraft in the Imperial Japanese Navy’s (IJN) arsenal. Renowned for…
Pilots Were Meant to Fly the Gloster Meteor F8 WK935 While Lying Down
The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies’ only jet-powered aircraft to engage in combat during World War II. Following the…
Did This U-boat Sink Herself With One of Her Own Torpedoes?
In the final month of 1943, U-972 went missing at sea. The U-boat had departed for her first patrol in November 1943 and hadn’t run…
Remains of German U-boat SM UC-55 Identified Off the Coast of the Shetland Islands
A team of divers have confirmed the identity of the wreck of a World War I-era German U-boat sunk off the coast of the Shetland…
The United States Once Came to the Aid of North Korea During a Pirate Attack
The Dai Hong Dan Incident occurred on October 29, 2007 in the Indian Ocean. After Somali pirates attacked the North Korean cargo ship MV Dai…
A B-52H Stratofortress Once Flew for Five Hours – Without a Tail!
In January 1964, a Boeing B-52H Stratofortress embarked on an eight-hour flight load survey to test buffeting turbulence effects at low-levels. When this turbulence became…
Hughes XF-11: The Aircraft That Almost Took Out Its Creator
The Hughes XF-11 was a prototype reconnaissance aircraft intended to be operated by the US Army Air Forces (USAAF). It was partially designed by Howard…
USS Ticonderoga (CVS-14) Recovered the Crew of the Apollo 17 Space Mission
On December 7, 1972, a three-man crew was launched into space on the final mission of NASA‘s Apollo program. For 12 days, they orbited space,…
Search for World War I-Era French Minesweepers Leads to Discovery of 1879 Shipwreck
A number of ships have fallen victim to the wicked weather of the Great Lakes over the centuries. One, the loss of the SS Edmund…
Martin B-26 Marauder: The Accident-Prone Medium Bomber That Went On to Become One of the Most Successful of WWII
The Martin B-26 Marauder was an American twin-engine medium bomber that saw service during World War II. Taking part in action in all theaters of…
Fairey Swordfish: The Outdated Biplane That Helped Sink the German Battleship Bismarck
The Fairey Swordfish was a biplane torpedo bomber, nicknamed “Stringbag,” that primarily served with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the British Royal Navy during…