The Meltin' Pot
This Section of my web site is to commemorate the brave young men, that made the maid voyage with the Meltin'Pot (serial no:41-24516)
Captain William Curt Melton: Pilot: Transferred to 1st Wing
Lt Alex Kramarinko: Co-pilot POW
Lt Jesse Milburn: Communication Officer Unknown
T/Sgt Lee Kessler: Top turret Gunner POW (see a copy of his war years below)
Lt Charles Grimes: Navigator-Lt Killed in WW2
Lt Robert Levy: Bombadier Killed in WW2
T/Sgt William Cherry : Engineer Killed in WW2
S/Sgt Mahlon Snover: Radio operator Killed in WW2
S/Sgt Gilbert Shoemarker : Ball Turret Killed in WW2
S/Sgt Ernest Garland: Tail Gunner Killed in WW2
Extra Passengers Sgt Joe Bowles: AWOL passenger Unknown
A film from Path Gazette showing a B-17 in action,during the Second World War.The plane in the film is similar to Meltin'Pot
A picture of William Curtis Melton(Captain of the Meltin'Pot) and Elisabeth Ferguson(the lady who came to the aid of the crashed plane crew in Lough Foyle)
Click on the picture which will take you to the BBC Radio web site
Lee Kessler another member of the Meltin'Pot crew(click on the picture to find out more information on Lee)
And below is a summary of his war years as a pdf
The Dive team from Inishowen Sub Aqua Club,that found the Meltin'Pot on
3rd of August 2001
From Left to Right Seamus Carey(Diving Officer),Seamus Mc Laughlin (holding an air tank from the plane),Robert Smyth, Dermot Keenan,and Danny Keenan(Danny and Seamus where the first divers on the wreck of the Meltin's Pot)
Above is the Diving Officer report(who was Semuas Carey the main driving force
behind the search for the Meltin'Pot)
From the Meltin'Pot leaving on September 10th 1942 from Gander Newfoundland heading for Prestwick Scotland,and it crashing into Lough Folye, to the Inishowen Sub Aqua Club finding the wreck on 3rd of August 2001.
Are document by Jack Scoltock in his book called THE MELTIN'POT.(click on the image of the book below to purchase the book from Amazon online store)
Authour of the The Meltin'Pot is Derry born author,
Jack Scoltock
Members of Inishowen Sub Aqua club and Manchester Diving Group with items recovered from theMeltin'Pot
Members of Inishowen Sub Aqua Club, and Manchester Diving Group. Recovered a Browning Machine Gun,(Caliber .50) and a Springfield Rifle1903 bolt action (Caliber .30) from the Meltin Pot in July 2011. The Browning machine gun was part of the BBC 1 Northern Ireland programes called Dig WW2 which was presented by Dan Snow.The two guns have being donated by Manchester Diving Group, to the Greencastle Maritime Museum. To be added to the present collection of artefacts recovered from the Meltin'Pot
Fleet Air Arm Dragonfly HR5 (WP498 GN916)
Ditch off Portstewart on 15/12/1958
Dragonfly HR5 (WP498 GN916) from Eglinton Station Derry. Ditched into Lough Foyle on 15/12/1958, four miles off Port Stewart, Northern Ireland after experiencing partial transmission failure. The crew were rescued by a fishing vessel "The Girl Mary" from Greencastle Co Donegal, The pilot was Lieutenant Brian R. Allen Royal Navy.
I am in the process of searching for the ditched helicopter, after a rear propeller was picked up by a local fishing boat from Greencastle You can read more about this and other exploit that happen to Lt Brian Allen in his latest book “On the Deck or in the Drink”
Opposite is a picture of the rear propller from flight WP498 GN916 which ditched on 15-12-1958 in Lough Foyle.This propeller was caught in a local fisherman lobster pot
The picture opposite is of Brian Allen enjoyed life above the clouds all over the world in the Royal Navy.
Click on the picture to link you to BBC Cornwall where you can hear Brian giving and interview about his time in the Navy and RAF.
Brian Allen book recalling his ditching of the Dragonfly helicopter in Lough foyle on 15-12-1958.
Click on the image to purchase the book from Amazon on-line
The Sunderland Propeller found off Inishowen
Below are some pictures and a short video of a Sunderland propeller found by a local fisherman in November 2013.
After some research I believe the propeller is of a Sunderland plane, which could have being base at Castle Archdale in County Fermanagh. Hopefully in the coming months with the help of Maiden City Sub Aqua club we will carry out a search pattern looking for the rest of either the plane or the engine of the Sunderland
Seamus Carey's Interview on the Shaun Doherty's show on Highland Radio,Recounting Seamus memories on searching and finding the Meltin Pot plane
