Flight 19: The Lost Squadron

On December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a routine training mission. They were never seen again. A rescue plane sent to find them also vanished. The incident became the founding mystery of the Bermuda Triangle legend.

The Flight

Flight 19 consisted of five Avengers carrying fourteen men, led by Lieutenant Charles Taylor. The mission was a routine navigation exercise.

Approximately ninety minutes into the flight, Taylor radioed that his compasses were malfunctioning. “We seem to be off course. We cannot see land.”

The Disappearance

For several hours, fragmentary radio communications were received. Taylor believed they were over the Florida Keys, then the Gulf of Mexico. As night fell and fuel ran low, the last transmissions suggested they would ditch when fuel ran out. They were never heard from again.

A PBM Mariner flying boat sent to search disappeared twenty minutes after takeoff. A merchant ship reported seeing an explosion.

Investigation

Extensive searches found no trace of Flight 19 or the rescue plane. The Navy concluded pilot error led to navigational confusion. The incident became central to Bermuda Triangle mythology.

Despite numerous expeditions, the wrecks have never been definitively located.