B-17 lost in the vicinity of Gardner Island...
B-17D Flying Fortress Serial Number 40-3089
USAAF
13th AF
5th BG
11th BS
Pilot Captain William Cherry, Jr.
Co-Pilot Lt. Whittaker
Navigator Lt. De Angelis
Crew Sgt Reynolds
Crew Private John Bartek
Crew Sgt Alex (died 13th day)
Crew Lt. Whitaker
Passenger Col. Hans C. Adamson
Passenger Captain Edward V. RickenbackerDitched October 21, 1942
MACR 900 and 802
Aircraft History
Built by Boeing at Seattle. Assigned to the USAAF, 13th Air Force, 5th Bombardment Group, 11th Bombardment Squadron. No known nose art or nickname.
Mission History
Edward V. "Eddie" Rickenbacker was sent on a tour of the Pacific theater to review conditions, operations, and to personally deliver a secret message to General MacArthur.
Took off from Hawaii, bound for Canton Airfield. Went off course due to a navigation error due to an out-of-true octant. damaged in a pre-take off incident. The bomber ditched at sea.
The Rickenbacker Web site is about a bomber that went down in the central Pacific ocean on its way from Hawaii to Port Moresby, New Guinea, (yes, New Guinea, as it was in those days) via Canton (Kanton, Phoenix Group, Republic of Kiribati). The first part of the journey should have ended on Canton, however, the B-17 carrying Eddie Rickenbacker, his aide Col. Hans Adamson, and their flight crew,
overshot Canton Island by at least 100 miles to the southwest. Out of fuel and hundreds of miles off-course, the pilot ditched his plane in the central Pacific Ocean. The survivors were finally located on Nukufetau, Ellice Islands (Tuvalu), some 500 miles away from Canton.
http://www.navworld.com/navcerebrations/rickenbacker/braingame1.htmThe B-17D Rickenbacker was flying in was a second choice aircraft which was previously damaged at Hickam Field, Pearl harbour....
"The 5th Bombardment Group suffered devastating casualties and equipment damage during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hickam Field and other targets on the island of Oahu on 7 December 1941."
An example of a B-17D 'The Swoose'. If you take a look at the Swoose restoration project you might get a look at some of the rivet patterns and panel sizes.