In 1972, while flying over the swamplands of Papua New Guinea, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) airmen spotted something unusual below. The large object stood out starkly against its surroundings, sparking their determination to uncover its identity.
After navigating the intricate swamp system, they finally reached the mysterious find: a wrecked aircraft that locals referred to as the “Swamp Ghost.” To their astonishment, it was a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress that had long been forgotten by the Americans. But the true surprise lay in what they discovered inside the abandoned aircraft.
The crew survived a death-defying crash
On February 23, 1942, just months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Capt. Frederick C. Eaton Jr. piloted a B-17E Flying Fortress over Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, which had recently fallen to the Japanese forces. During the flight, the bomber was hit, damaging a wing and causing a critical fuel leak. This made it impossible for the crew to return to their base in Port Moresby.
Faced with no other options, Eaton attempted an emergency landing in what he believed was a wheat field. The crew survived the crash, but they quickly realized they’d landed in a swamp teeming with crocodiles. Despite the treacherous conditions, they managed to escape the swamp and were rescued by local villagers, who treated them for malaria. After recovering, the crew went on to serve for the remainder of World War II.
The legend of the “Swamp Ghost”
After the crash, neither the crew of the B-17E nor the US Air Force tried to retrieve the heavy bomber. It remained in the swamp, where it was visited by villagers. Soon, it became somewhat of a holy site, as mysterious things happened to those who dared explore the wreckage.
According to legend, some who ventured toward the aircraft never returned, while others contracted malaria and suffered from cognitive issues. This led locals to keep a distance and worship the area as a sacred place, to keep themselves safe from the strange phenomena.
Following the war, Papua New Guinea became a popular destination for relic hunters looking for downed aircraft, old guns and infrastructure, and other artifacts the jungle had swallowed up. The “Swamp Ghost” quickly became one of the main attractions.
Salvagers spotted the B-17E Flying Fortress in the jungle
When the B-17E was spotted in 1972 by the Australian airmen, they were astounded by what they’d found. The wreck was in amazing condition, and they even found thermoses filled with coffee that had been poured by the original crew!
In the 1980s, after hearing about the discovery, renowned aircraft salvager Fred Hagan and his partner, David Tallichet, set out to find the wreck and salvage it. They were shocked to see the “Swamp Ghost” was in such good condition, and while the majority of the weapons and mechanics had been stripped by locals, the interior was still remarkable.
Hagan and Tallichet began the process of reconstructing the heavy bomber to make it sturdy enough to be moved. However, setbacks delayed the project for years. Finally, in 2006, the salvage mission was complete, minus one additional setback: locals didn’t want it removed. Eventually, after a ceremony to appease the spirits of the swamp, the aircraft was permitted to leave its resting place for the first time in 65 years.
Where is the “Swamp Ghost” now?
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Once it was fully restored, the “Swamp Ghost” was put on display at a ceremony in Long Beach, California that was attended by many family members of the original crew. It has since been permanently moved to the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in Hawaii, where it’s undergoing restoration.