Mt. Waternomee & the B18 Bomber Crash Site
Date: July 31, 2010
Location: Mt Waternomee, New Hampshire
Total Distance: 4.6 miles
While researching different mountains in the state of New Hampshire, I came across this challenge. I read an article entitled "The Night The Bomber Crashed" by Floyd W. Ramsey written in the Moosilaukee Reader. I was immediately enthralled with finding the remains of the downed craft.
On the night of January 14, 1942, a B18 Bomber crashed in the remote region of Mt. Waternomee. It had been patrolling the Atlantic Ocean off the Coast of Newfoundland searching for German Submarines. During that period submarines were known to frequent the waters to torpedo Allied Convoys. During the return flight the crew encountered blinding snow squalls and fierce wind. After being thrown off course and while travelling at 160 mph the craft slammed into the tops of the trees on Mt. Waternomee. The crash set off the bombs on board the aircraft. Five of the seven crew members remarkably escaped with their lives.
I conducted research as to the trail and the current condition of the plane and how easily it could be located. Armed with that information I plotted my route and began my adventure. On the morning of July 31, 2010 I left my residence around six am. I proceeded north on interstate 93 to the area of Mt. Waternomee.
I arrived at the location of the trail head just off of Rt 118. The mountain is maintained by the US Forest Service. I started out on Walker Brook Road, which was fairly easy to navigate. Arriving at the end of Walker Brook Road, I found myself in a small circular field. After refering to my guide, I determined that I needed to proceed in the 1 o'clock direction and found a few stones piled on top of each other to mark the trailhead. The trail started to become overgrown at this point. I followed it the trail for approximately 0.9 miles. This trail was fairly difficult going and meandered through the trees and ferns along the side of a brook.
The trail came to a point where you needed to cross the brook to begin the next part of the journey. After crossing the brook and taking a moment to examine my surroundings, I started to head up hill. I discovered that the trail was becoming more increasingly difficult and going uphill the entire time. The trees became more dense, and the rocks more steep. I stopped to examine a nice waterfall along the way through the trees. During the climb all that could be heard was the sound of running water and the wildlife. It was very peaceful. After a rigorous journey up hill to the elevation of 2550' feet, I reached the site.
It was a remarkable to find all the debris from the crash that occured so many years ago. There were engines, wings, broken glass, etc. I stood there in awe of what had happened so many years prior. The trees had not completely grown back and it was amazing to see all the wreckage. After reading that 5 of the 7 people aboard survived, I was stunned. It appeared that no one could walk away from here. I examined the remains of the crash and took pictures of the area. As I climbed back down to my car, I decided to attempt to find more of these crashes around New England.
Jim Smith
