U.S. NAVY ZP SQUADRONS IN BRAZIL * - ZP SQUADRONS 41/42
1)ZP SQUADRONS IN BRAZIL *
EXCERPTS FROM ZP SQUADRONS IN BRAZIL
In one of her missions, blimp K-36 colided at the night of 17/JAN/44 at Ilha do Farol in Arraial do Cabo, northern Rio in mid of a heavy fog with the loss of its material. Two crewmembers sustained slight injuries and were rescued aided by locals. The blimp lost all visibility short before the colision with high ground with dense vegetation. One book in Portuguese (K-36. O Zeppelin que caiu no Cabo. ), written by the Brazilian researcher Leandro Miranda provided a detailed account on the accident from where the picture below was obtained showing the remains of K-36 being removed including engines, navigational equipment and others to serve as spare parts.
20/12/43. Just before Christmas of 1943, an Army Transport Plane had to land a few miles from Amapá, in the jungle. The K-106, piloted by Lieutenant R. A. Powers, went to the rescue. The Army personnel saw the blimp hovering overhead an hour before midnight. It dropped them some food and promised to return at dawn. When the K-106 came back, it made four separate landings, removing 2100 pounds of mail and baggage, plus the plane crew and most members of the landing party, who had hiked in to lend assistance.
8/1/44- K- 36 sights 3 lifeboats some 240 miles south of Fernando Noronha Is. They were survivors from German Blockade Runner Rio Grande sunk by Cruisers Jouett and Omaha.
13/01/1944 - K-98 located survivors from Blockade Runner Burgenland also sunk by Jouett and Omaha.
23/01/1944 - K-118 enroute to Brazil from Paramaribo, located B-25 crashed north of Amapa.
4/02/1944 - February 4. K-114, at Igarape Assú, received word to proceed to the scene of a plane, one Canadian A-30 Baltimore crashed 100 miles to the west. Joined by the K-90, also at Igarape Assú, the blimp started. They found the plane buried in a swamp, but no survivors. They learned that the officers from the wrecked plane had set out for the coast. K-114 continued the search and finally located one of them, Flight Officer J. G. Doherty of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The blimp selected a fairly open field, where cows were observed grazing and slogging about in the swamps. The pilot landed and picked up Doherty, and a little later found his companion, Flight Officer F. B. Clarue, also RCAF. They directed him to the same field ad there descended and took him aboard. No plane could possibly have landed on this spot.
07/2/44 –K-90 crashes near Igarape Assu NAF Northern Belem.
11/2/44 – K-106, K-114 and K-118 rescue survivors from two B 25 Mitchell bombers crashed in the jungles of the state of Amapa.They called K-106, from Amapá, to their aid by use of a life raft radio. This time Lieutenant Powers skillfully maneuvered his ship to the small clearing, and Bos'n J. F. Desmond dropped to the ground and organized a landing party, which chopped away shrubbery and growth with machetes. Lieutenant Powers again brought the ship around. Though he cut some foliage with the propellors, he managed a successful landing. He loaded as many passengers as possible and took off. Meanwhile, the K-11, piloted by Ensign W. T. Raleigh, reached the clearing. Another successful landing was made, more Army personnel loaded, and some Navy men were left behind to lighten weight of takeoff. To conclude this episode, K-106 returned and brought these men away.
17/2/44- K-110 and K-98 based at Fortaleza, undergo extensive search for one B-24 Liberator lost in the sea.
18/2/44- K-98 locates adrift in the sea a valuable cargo of rubber bales from German blockade Runner Rio Grande ( This cargo was almost entirely recovered by either American or Brazilian ships or washed out at the beach.)
03/3/44- Another example of the usefulness of airships is that of a PBY Catalina, compelled to land on a beach north of Natal. A slow moving K-110 dropped gasoline in tanks, which the pilot used to refuel his ship and take off.
05/3/44- K 114 rescue survivors from one crashed PBY-4 Liberator 20 miles off Belem.
22/3/44- K-110 located one Brazilian Air Force training aircraft that landed in one remote beach near Santa Cruz NAF.
21/4/44- K-73 located PV-1 crashed in Bahia.
07/6/44- K-131 located and rescued crew from one A-20 crashed at Turiaçu northern of the state of Maranhao.
08/6/44. K-125 takes President Vargas, Air Ministry Salgado Filho, Brigadier Trompowsky and Brig. Duncan to watch Brazilian Air Force ASW exercises off Marambaia backwaters near Santa Cruz NAF.
11/6/44- K-125 carried out an extensive search for one Brazilian Air Force aircraft which landed at the bay of Sepetiba near Santa Cruz NAF.
22/6/44- K-128 search for survivors of Brazilian Corvette sunk due to high sea off Recife.
23/7/44- K- 128 search for one NATS (Naval Air Transport Service) Douglas R4D-5 crashed near Maceio some 98 miles south of Recife.
21/9/44. K- 117 locates the wreckage of one aircraft from Brazilian Airline Serviços Cruzeiro do Sul crashed at Bahia.
25/9/44.- K-128 undergo for a search to locate one B-29 lost in the sea off Fernando de Noronha Is.
22/11/44. – K-52 searches for one Martin PBM Mariner crashed in the sea off Bahia.
13/1/45.- K-125 from Santa Cruz and K-132 from Caravelas NAF, made a thorough search for one B-26 Marauder from US Navy which disappeared enroute to Rio. Later the plane was found landed in one small airstrip south of Vitoria, probably Guarapari.
30/3/45- Squadron ZP-42 receives order to return to the US.
04/4/45- K-108 located Brazilian C-45 crashed at the jungle at Amapa.
13/6/45 – K-98 located A 26 crashed. Place unknown.
02/10/45 ZP-41 receives order to return to the US.
All Pictures below from www.uboatarchive.net By Capt. Jerry Mason Capt. USN Ret.
The photographs in the next series were taken on December 7, 1943 during Headquarters Squadron 4 Detachment 42 operations from Santa Cruz, Brazil. K-84 lands at Santa Cruz, Brazil
Engine is prepared for removal
Ground crew prepares engine for mounting - This squadron once managed an engine change with the airship swinging on the mast
Ground crew repairs rudder and elevator cables - Many of the ladders and stands seen in these photos had once serviced the German Zeppelins
K-84 and K-88 in the hangar with Brazilian planes
K-84 in the hangar with Brazilian planes. On the left one PV 1 Ventura.
K-84 in the hangar.
K-88 is moved into the hangar
K-84 and K-88 in the hangar. All Pictures from By Capt. Jerry Mason Capt. USN Ret.
Below rare scenes of US Navy Blimps in operation along the lengthwise coast of Brazil. 20 of these versatile crafts were based at different locations covering vast expanses of the South Atlantic neraly four thousand miles from northern to southeast coast and greatly helped to maintain the sea lanes secure in long patrols sweeps and missions over the Amazon jungle to rescue aircrews.
