Lost gold shipment West Africa 1946

Hello Goldigger1950 and Xavier

I have a little job to do in Tahiti next year.  

You never know I might still even be crazy enough to take you up on your offer Goldigger.

Hardluck feels his bones these days with his crook neck cannot afford any more bumluck.  

I study treasure and historical stories as a business and need a little more evidence before I pack up and travel to the coast of Africa on the strength of one newspaper story. And besides I don't have to go to Africa to get in trouble! I can get into trouble without leaving home  

I think you are on the right path Xavier in checking any newspaper reports in England. And asking any former pilots that have flown in the region.

But I do have a theory I like to share with both of you of the fate of this missing DC-3. And what might have occurred result in the loss of the transport aircraft, based on the capabilities of the aircraft, Topography and prevailing weather conditions at the time of the flight.

The DC-3 has a maximum speed 346 km/h or economical cruising speed 266 km/h, Initial rate of climb 1130 ft per minute, Range with maximum fuel 2420 km or 1307 nautical miles, Range with maximum payload 563 km. 305 nautical miles. Depending on load the aircraft, the flight was from Monrovia, Liberia to Accra Ghana, over flying the Ivory Coast. It is possible for the DC-3 depending on cargo to reach its destination non stop without refueling.

Monrovia and the coast of Liberia are known to have constant choppy winds blowing onshore north of Cape Palmas in the southern part of Liberia. The coast line turns south east into the Gulf of Guinea to Ivory Coast and Ghana.

The prevailing weather conditions at the time of the incident and of year in that region. Cape Palmas is about 6 degrees north of the equator. South of the equator in the south the winds a predominantly blow North West. There is a mountain range in South Eastern Liberia with hot winds from the interior blow south West in January colliding with the cooler air from the Gulf of Guinea  And changing north east by July. It is called the intertropical convergence zone.

There is a small mountain range where this collision of cooler and hotter air takes place creating huge thunderstorms. This part of Liberia has a very high level of precipitation. In fact over 400mm of rainfall in April, May and June falls in this area of Liberia. The Area is in the most likely flight path of the DC-3.

The name of this mountain range is The Putu Range which is only about 750 meters high. This small mountain range sticks out of the main slightly higher Mountain range tablelands that runs north south in the eastern part of Liberia.

DC-3 in 1946 was very basic aircraft with no high tech navigation aids. Navigation was in most part done by visual aids by locating landmarks on the ground and compass bearings. The pilots due to severe thermal weather conditions may have wanted to get a visual ground bearing flew the plane under the cloud level. Unaware of thermal down draft where they could of lost enough altitude before they realized the were flying into a 750 meter peak of Putu Range.

The impact would of been catastrophic and the Rain Clad Jungle could have hidden the impact zone before any search parties could attempt to look for them. Not knowing where they went down and such a vast area to search with limited resources hampered any chance of finding wreckage.

Of course this is speculation as it is totally possible that the plane had a catastrophic mechanical failure some where off the coast of the Ivory Coast or Ghana. Knowing the reliability of the aircraft I tend to think pilot error was some how involved due a series of weather related incidents and limitations of the aircraft?

Ultimately we will never know for sure what happened to this plane? But it is good brain teaser and interesting to speculate on the sad fate of this aircraft, passengers and missing treasure.

As you can see I have been burning whats left of my tired old Grey brain matter on this brain teaser of a treasure mystery.  Hey! It was wet today and I had nothing better to do.  

Hardluck


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Hello Xavier

Here is a map generalization of  weather patterns relating to Africa. Between the months of Jan and July. Liberia is at the start of the intertropical convergence zone. what weather event happened to the DC3 flight in 1946 would have been influenced by wind direction, surface and sea temperature.

Another mystery we need to solve why was gold transported from Liberia in the first place?

Perhaps we will find some clues in the history of Liberia?

On thing I found you may find interesting is on researching more of the history Liberia where this gold allegedly came from. A possible clue to who or what person or company or mining company dispatched the gold to Accra Gold Coast? There was mining activity there.

Artisanal mining for alluvial gold at a number of localities persisted during the war. Production has been estimated at around 1 t/year. Pre-war production was probably higher, judging from the numerous old alluvial diggings, which are now partially flooded.

I found the following statement in the brief history of Liberia:

 In the decades after 1945, the Liberian government received hundreds of millions of dollars of unrestricted foreign investment, which destabilized the Liberian economy. Liberian Government revenue rose enormously, but was being grossly embezzled by government officials. Growing economic disparities caused increased hostility between indigenous groups and Americo-Liberians.

Was this the source of this gold shipment  embezzled Liberian government gold or mining company shipment???

The mystery deepens

Hardluck 

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Hello Xavier

You may be correct we could be possibly chasing a ghost. Could the story written in the Canberra times was an imaginary story written by junior reporter?

But of course most newspapers in 1946 would of been still under influence of the war office and perhaps more details were concealed by censorship???

Here is some thing else 5 years latter another story appeared in 1951. an American aircraft around the same time of year disappeared of a flight from Accra to Monrovia with 40 Americans on board.

Is it connected or just a coincidence?

I have done a little more research on gold mining operations in Liberia. Here is some thing you might find interesting.

There are other sources reporting or indicating the failure of a start of the mining operations, in particular of gold, in the first half of the twentieth century in Liberia. In 1933 President Edwin. J. Barclay granted the Dutch 'Holland Syndicate' (whose major financier was 'Wm.H. Muller and company') the sole prospecting rights in the country as well as an option on 50,000 acres (to be selected by the concessionaire).

The Dutch concentrated their surveys on the Western part of the country, hoping to locate gold and diamond deposits in view of the recent discoveries and subsequent exploitation of diamonds in neighboring Sierra Leone, near Pendembu. It was during this search for diamonds and gold that the high-grade iron ore reserves of Bomi Hills were discovered by one of the Dutch explorers.
 
Whether the 'Holland Syndicate' ever found and extracted gold or diamonds is unknown, as no record exists of the minerals possibly extracted and exported. Though export of gold did take place during the 19th century and in the first quarter of the 20th century, the gold industry figured in export statistics for the first time in 1935, to the amount of $22,700. Most, if not all of this, had been produced by small Liberian miners.
 

We have no real evidence of any regular gold shipments after the war. So who was shipping the gold?

Perhaps this Gold and silver was by corrupt members of the Liberian Government awash with funds embezzled from state treasury?

The Allies in the beginning of the cold war era, against Communism in 1946 wanted powerful friends in West Africa and looked the other way at the Liberia's corruption??? Perhaps censors covered up any follow up story of the incident?

A lot of questions, not much answers. 

Hardluck 

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,10242.msg64723.html#msg64723

Guys, if this crash is same as the one you are discussing, this article says plane vanished 12.4.45.


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Hello Sue

Wow!  


Well done! Give yourself a pat on back. I was beginning to suspect the story to be a hoax! Clearly the two newspaper stories are based on the same story.

We now have the name of Pilot, who owned the aircraft and the true date of the Crash.

Bitburgaggie_7377 has made an excellent point. the aircraft may be listed under other designations.

Xavier Thanks to Sue,We have a date of December 1945, it might pay check DC3 C-47 ETC..or any other crashes in West Africa from that date? it now appears the aircraft belongs to the United States Army so the details would be some where in the United States. Maybe in the Archives?

Hardluck  

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