Read more: Local, State, Zimmerman, Jack, Lt, Fremont, Wwii, Ww2, World, War, Craft, Plane, Air, Water
The search for a famous Fremont aviator and the crew of a World War II plane that crashed 67 years ago may soon be over.
On Wednesday, Canadian investigators will dive into the icy waters of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to verfiy their suspicions. The search will take place in the cold and choppy water at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River near the French Canadian village of Long Point. In 1942, a PBY-5A Catalina aircraft sank beneath the rough waters on an ill-fated take-off attempt.
Lt. Colonel Jack Zimmerman, a young and accomplised pilot from Fremont, Ohio, was the senior pilot on board the plane.
Prior to World War II, Zimmerman had established himself as one of the pioneers of commercial aviation as chief pilot for TWA. He had traveled over two million miles by air.
Yet, Zimmerman would eventually go to his watery grave with four other crewmen. His crew, however, managed to be rescued by townspeople from Long Point.
This week's search is being conducted after a plane was discovered using sonar devices in the approximate area of the crash 67 years ago. Investigators say the plan is probably fully intact, leading them to believe it is the Catalina plane of Lt. Col. Zimmerman of Fremont.
If the plane and bodies are recovered it will be through a joint U.S. - Canadian military operation.
