On Saturday, August 9 at 2 p.m. at the South Carolina State Museum, Greenville physician Dr. Bob Seigler will present “The Loss and Recovery of the Lake Murray B-25.” Project leader Seigler, whose dream to find the plane took 16 years to realize, will cover the 60-year saga of the loss of the B-25 bomber and the subsequent project to recover, preserve and publicly display the aircraft.
Not many people today realize that during World War II, beautiful Lake Murray played an important role in training B-25 Mitchell medium bomber flight crews. With its many deserted islands and vast area, the lake was an ideal training ground for bombing target runs, not all of which ended successfully. On April 4, 1943, one such B-25 developed engine trouble and was ditched by its crew into the waters of Lake Murray, where it stayed until it was raised more than 60 years later.
Seigler’s talk continues a series of programs featuring members of the Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project who were the driving forces in recovering the aircraft. The programs are presented in conjunction with the State Museum’s “mini-exhibit” Catch of the Day: Recovery of the Lake Murray B-25.
Another program featuring Camden media specialist Bill Vartorella is being planned for Sept. 20.
For more information on these programs, call (803) 898-4952, email publicprograms@scmuseum.org or visit www.southcarolinastatemuseum.org .
Aviation enthusiast Bob Seigler will appear Saturday, Aug. 9 at the South Carolina State Museum to discuss the 60-plus year history of the B-25 Mitchell bomber lost in Lake Murray during training in World War II, and the tremendous work involved in raising the aircraft in the 1990s.
Photo courtesy B-25 Recovery Group./S.C. State Museum