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Cumberland Gap and the "Lost Squadron"Mar 2, 2006
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From our campground owners we had learnt there was an interesting museum called the Lost Squadron Museum not far from the Cumberland Gap. We were fascinated to find out the story.
In visiting the museum and taking to the guide (who we later discovered was the project leader) we learnt the following story.
The P-38 Tomcat Squadron took to the Maine skies on a clear July day, headed for WWII by way of Greenland and on to England. The weather swiftly turned from bad to worse, leaving them no choice but to crash-land on Greenland’s ice-cap. Eleven days later the men were rescued but the P38 remained and were eventually hidden by ice. Over 50 years later a project was undertaken to bring back one of the P-38 planes which was buried 268 feet under the ice. Piece by piece the aircraft was dismantled beneath the ice and brought to the surface and brought back to Middlesboro Kentucky where she was reassembled and is now taking to the skies again after much hard work by a dedicated team. The plane is known a Glacier Girl.
After exploring the museum and lunch we headed out to explore the Cumberland Gap.
Cumberland Gap, a natural pass through the wilderness has been used as a transportation corridor since prehistoric times. In 1700s and 1800s the gap became a route for commerce and western migration. Cumberland Gap is associated with Daniel Boone who was one of many explorers who opened up the west.