John L. Williams
Charles W.Quigle
Lee Kendall Bowman
Elijah G. Willis
Gordon E. Davison
Herbert C. Crow
John E. McLaughlin
Ernest W. Libby
Jack T. Flener
Morris J. Olson
John A.Huffman
Those 11 men where on a anti-German submarine patrol as part of the United States Navy Fleet Airwing 7 when the Liberator PB4Y -1 aircraft struck the highest point of Skellig Michael, on February 27, at 1.03 am . The aviation fuel in the wing tank exploded and the ammunition on board the aircraft followed immediately . When the lighthouse keeper on the Skellig went out to see what has happened, he saw a huge fireball on the north face of the rock. A search for any survivors began instantly without any result. No wreckage was ever found.
The northside of the South Peak, Skellig Michael,
February 2010, the scene of the crash.
The Warplane Research Group of Ireland published a book
about the tragedy under the titel "The Fatal Echo".
ISBN 0951637908
I have used some details about the incident from this source.
