B-25 In Columbia SC for sale
B25 Bomber Pulled From Lake Greenwood Up For Sale
Credit: Christine Scarpelli
“Skunkie” the B-25C Mitchell bomber is up for sale by the Celebrate
Freedom Foundation in Columbia. The plane is painted like the bombers that
fought in WWII but cannot afford to be restored and it sitting at a damaged
hanger at Jim Hamilton – L.B. Owens Airport. It is selling for $650,000 online.
By _Kris Hummer_ (http://www2.wsav.com/staff/14435/) | Christine Scarpelli
Published: September 23, 2010
Updated: September 23, 2010 – 8:38 PM
The Celebrate Freedom Foundation wants to sell the bomber found at the
bottom of Lake Greenwood in 1983. The plane had been sitting there for almost
40 years when it was pulled up by a navy research boat said Larry Russell,
Executive Director of the Celebrate Freedom Foundation.
“The Navy used these aircrafts for training. In the summer a lot of the
Navy reserve units will bring their boats to the lakes and use sonar and
cameras to search the planes out,” said Russell.
The plane is painted like the bombers used by the Doolittle raiders who
bombed Tokyo in retaliation for Pearl Harbor in World War II.
“The Doolittle Raiders had a phenomenal mission,” said Russell.
In World War II, Lt. Col. James Doolittle led 80 men who volunteered for
the mission, knowing almost for certain they were going to die. The Raiders
gathered at the Columbia Air Base and trained to take off from an aircraft
carrier.
On April 18, 1942, 16 of the planes took off from the ship The Hornet and
bombed Tokyo in retaliation for the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. The
mission did not cause any kind of substantial destruction, but Russell said it
did affect the outcome of the war in other ways.
“It caused the military to call a lot on infantry back to Japan to save
the mother country. That in effect probably saved tens of thousands of
American lives by not having to fight all those Japanese on the other islands,”
said Russell.
“Skunkie” sank during a training accident on D-Day, June 6, 1944, when
the pilot and the instructor pilot were flying just a few feet above the
water. As Russell tells it, they noticed a few young ladies on the side of the
beach and when they were distracted, the blades hit the water and caused the
aircraft to crash.
“It’s true because we have paperwork showing the instructor pilot was
sent to the front lines as a forward air controller. That is the worst job
they can get in the air force,” said Russell.
The pilot’s survived but Skunkie sank to the bottom of the lake.
After being retrieved, the plane has been in a damaged hanger at Jim
Hamilton – L.B. Owens Airport in Columbia since 1992. The foundation cannot
afford to restore the plane and wants to sell it to a museum to be used as an
education tool.
“Kids now days are more interactive learning rather than sitting own with
books so to get something like this in front of them makes it easier to
absorb that information,” said Russell.
It was also the showpiece for the 50th Reunion of Doolittle’s Raiders and
in two other reunions since. Russell hopes to find a viable, active museum
that can get it restored to show children here in South Carolina.
“I would love to keep it in SC but there are no museums to keep this in.
Maybe down to Georgia with the 8th Air force, maybe to Charlotte they have a
nice museum. I’d love to have the museum here,” said Russell.
Many people agree that Skunkie is part of South Carolina’s history and
should be kept in the state. The plane is currently selling for $650,000
online.
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