Parks Canada Announces Launch of Twitter Feed on 70th Anniversary of Loss of WWII Pilot Jack Zimmerman and His PBY-Catalina

Parks Canada launched a national Twitter feed focusing on the work done by the Agency’s underwater and terrestrial archaeological teams. The new Twitter feed (@PCArchaeology)

The launch of the new Twitter feed coincided with the 70th anniversary of Second World War American PBY-5A Catalina foundering in the St. Lawrence. The PBY was piloted by Fremont, Ohio native Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman, legendary TWA pilot, who joined the Army Air Force early in WWII. He headed the North Atlantic Wing Air Transport Ferry Command.

After conducting inspections of the air field at Mingan, Ontario, Zimmerman and eight crew members departed for the return flight to Presque Isle, Maine. Facing strong headwinds and swells of five to six feet, the PBY failed to lift off. Hitting the top of the waves, the cockpit filled with seawater that entered behind the wheel well. In a matter of minutes, the entire cockpit filled with water, causing the nose to submerge. Four of the crew escaped. Lt.Col. Zimmerman and four others were lost as the plane sunk into the waters

Parks Canada underwater archaeologists discovered the wreckage of the aircraft while conducting a research survey in May 2009, near the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada.

 

Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman

Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center

 

As part of the launch, Parks Canada unveiled a short documentary about the discovery of the aircraft by Parks Canada archaeologists. This video features Parks Canada underwater archaeologists and members of the U.S. Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) as well as first-hand testimonies from local residents who witnessed the actual plane crash. You can check out the documentary with a picture of Lt. Col. Zimmerman supplied by the  Hayes Presidential Center.  Follow the You Tube link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZVRrfB8P88

For updates follow the Parks Canada Archaeology Twitter feed at @PCArchaeology and in French at @PCArcheologie

 

Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Now on the Wreckage Site of WWII Pilot Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman's Plane

Lt. Col Jack Zimmerman

More than three years ago, I wrote about Fremont, Ohio native, Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman, legendary pilot, who was instrumental in developing America's commercial aviation.  Senior pilot at TWA, Zimmerman flew the first of TWA’s fleet of DC-3s into New York City’s LaGuardia Field. A year later, Jack Zimmerman flew the last leg of the West-East inaugural record flight of TWA’s first Boeing 307. He later set a coast-to-coast speed record for transport planes.

Joining the Army Air Corps in 1942, Zimmerman served as control officer of the North Atlantic Division of the Ferry Command. The command was responsible for transporting men, supplies, and equipment to England to support the war effort. In November 1942, after inspecting an air base, Zimmerman's seaplane foundered on take off. Fishermen from Quebec’s Longue-Pointe village rescued four of the nine men, but Jack Zimmerman was not among them.

Two months after writing the article, Parks Canada called to inform me that its team of underwater archaeologists had located Lt. Col. Zimmerman's plane. Parks Canada and Longue-Pointe villagers coordinated with the United States to protect the discovery.

Underwater Archaeologist at the wreckage site of Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman's plane

Courtesy of Parks Canada

Parks Canada underwater archaeology technician Chriss Ludin visited the Hayes Center to examine some of Zimmerman's records that are part of the institution's collections.

Parks Canada Underwater Archaeology Technician

Chriss Ludin

The investigation was turned over to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command which conducts global search, recovery, and laboratory operations to identify unaccounted-for Americans from past conflicts in order to support the Department of Defense’s personnel accounting efforts. The organization is deploying more than 85 investigation and recovery teams on 30 missions to 11 countries this year.

Parks Canada has informed me that a 50-man recovery team with 18 underwater divers, JPAC specialists, and the crew of the U.S. Grapple have now arrived at the discovery site of Lt. Col. Zimmerman's plane.
The team plans to spend a month diving on the plane wreckage in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to potentially recover bodies and any personal items, like watches or military tags, that might have belonged to those aboard the plane.

U.S.S. Grapple

Discovery of WW II Seaplane Confirmed as that of Fremont Native Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman

More often than we might think, the past meets the present. In 1996, relatives donated materials to the Hayes Center, documenting the aviation career of Fremont native and pioneering pilot Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman. They included his log books, photographs of his planes and fellow pilots, and articles appearing in newspapers and aviation newsletters.

There was no doubt that Zimmerman was one of those daring, early pilots whose every flight was filled with danger. He was one of a handful who catapulted TWA’s fledgling airline into a leader in the commercial aviation industry.

Zimmerman logged more than two million flight miles, crossed the Atlantic more than 100 times, flew TWA’s first Boeing 307, set numerous aviation speed records, and piloted TWA’s first flight into New York City's LaGuardia Airport. He also flew secret flights for the FBI. A 1942 biography, The Million Miler, the Story of an Air Pilot, chronicled Zimmerman’s aviation career

It was almost a given that he would enlist in the Army Air Corps when WW II broke out. In charge of a fleet of seaplanes that ferried supplies to Allied Forces in England, Zimmerman was the most senior pilot. In November 1942, Zimmerman’s seaplane foundered on take-off in rough seas. With seawater rushing into the fuselage through a damaged wheel well, the PBY Catalina

sank instantly. Fishermen from Quebec’s Longue-Pointe village rescued four of the nine men, but Jack Zimmerman was not among them.

The dark, cold waters of the Atlantic swallowed up the seaplane along with its brave pilot and four crew members – seemingly lost forever. That was until August 7th when I received a call from a Canadian who was searching for information on the Internet about Jack Zimmerman..

He said, “Didn’t you hear? It was in the New York Times, Bloomberg News , and in all of the Canadian newspapers. Parks Canada believes they have discovered the plane of Jack Zimmerman, the pilot you wrote about in your article!” He told me that during a routine survey, underwater archaeologists found the wreckage of a well-preserved seaplane in the area where Zimmerman and his crew were lost 67 years ago.

Side-scan sonar indicated the plane appeared to be well preserved. Parks Canada said that “in collaboration with the U. S. Government, they will be launching an operation to formally confirm the identity of the wreck and to explore the possibility of eventually recovering the remains of missing crew members. Parks Canada is dedicated to managing the discovery with the dignity and respect owed to lost American soldiers.”

On August 21st, Parks Canada, using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), confirmed conclusively that the PBY they had discovered was that piloted by Lt. Col. Jack Zimmerman. You can watch a video of the underwater archaeologists as they view the downed aircraft.

This post is an updated variation of an article published in the September 2009 issue of Lifestyles 2000.