Bomber Mountain
{{Short description|Mountain in Wyoming, United States}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name = Bomber Mountain
| photo = Big Horn Mountains.jpg
| photo_caption = Cloud Peak (left) and Bomber Mountain (right) as seen from Lake Helen.
| elevation = 12,840+ feet (3914+ m)
| elevation_ref = {{ngvd29}}{{cite peakbagger|5324|Bomber Mountain, Wyoming |access-date=2011-05-09}}
| prominence_ft = 1120
| location = Johnson / Big Horn counties, Wyoming, U.S.
| range = Bighorn Mountains
| coordinates = {{coord|44.370257|N|107.15577|W|type:mountain_region:US-WY_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| range_coordinates =
| topo = USGS Lake Helen
| type =
| age =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route =
}}
Bomber Mountain is the crest of a ridge line within the Bighorn Mountains of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It borders the south side of Cloud Peak, the tallest peak in the range. It is about {{convert|23|mi}} west of Buffalo. A military aviation accident that occurred upon the mountain in 1943 led to it being named Bomber Mountain in 1946.{{cite web |url=http://www.ultimatewyoming.com/nuggets/bomber112205.html |title=Bomber Mountain: A Mystery in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains |publisher=Ultimate Wyoming |access-date=August 26, 2016}}
Climate
{{Weather box
|location = Bomber Mountain 44.3582 N, 107.1732 W, Elevation: {{cvt|12175|ft}} (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = y
|Jan high F = 18.3
|Feb high F = 18.7
|Mar high F = 25.1
|Apr high F = 29.2
|May high F = 38.2
|Jun high F = 48.7
|Jul high F = 57.8
|Aug high F = 56.8
|Sep high F = 48.3
|Oct high F = 35.7
|Nov high F = 24.3
|Dec high F = 17.9
|Jan mean F = 8.8
|Feb mean F = 8.0
|Mar mean F = 13.4
|Apr mean F = 17.7
|May mean F = 26.4
|Jun mean F = 36.0
|Jul mean F = 44.4
|Aug mean F = 43.7
|Sep mean F = 35.7
|Oct mean F = 24.7
|Nov mean F = 15.0
|Dec mean F = 8.7
|Jan low F = -0.7
|Feb low F = -2.7
|Mar low F = 1.8
|Apr low F = 6.2
|May low F = 14.6
|Jun low F = 23.4
|Jul low F = 31.0
|Aug low F = 30.6
|Sep low F = 23.2
|Oct low F = 13.8
|Nov low F = 5.8
|Dec low F = -0.4
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.57
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.41
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.86
|Apr precipitation inch = 4.97
|May precipitation inch = 5.20
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.54
|Jul precipitation inch = 2.67
|Aug precipitation inch = 1.46
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.15
|Oct precipitation inch = 3.78
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.37
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.03
|source=PRISM Climate Group{{cite web
|url= http://prism.oregonstate.edu/explorer/
|title= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|publisher= PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
|access-date= October 12, 2023
|quote= To find the table data on the PRISM website, start by clicking Coordinates (under Location); copy Latitude and Longitude figures from top of table; click Zoom to location; click Precipitation, Minimum temp, Mean temp, Maximum temp; click 30-year normals, 1991-2020; click 800m; click Retrieve Time Series button.}}
}}
1943 air accident
On 28 June 1943, a B-17F-55-DL Flying Fortress, serial number 42-3399, nicknamed "Scharazad", departed Pendleton Army Air Base in Pendleton, Oregon destined for Grand Island, Nebraska.{{cite web |title=Mission Details |publisher=BomberMountain.com |url=http://www.bombermountain.com/html/misson_details.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006161134/http://www.bombermountain.com/html/misson_details.html |archive-date=October 6, 2008 |access-date=May 9, 2011}} From there, the bomber would join the other members of the 383d Bomb Group and continue to England to participate in the ongoing World War II bombing campaigns. Around midnight, the captain radioed that their position was near Powder River, Wyoming. They were not heard from again. After they failed to arrive in Grand Island, the plane was declared missing and the Army mounted a search effort with no results. A second search was conducted the following year, concentrating on the Wind River Range, Absaroka Range and Bighorn Mountains, but still no wreckage was spotted.
On 12 August 1945, two cowboys spotted something shiny on a ridge line in the Cloud Peak area of the Big Horn Mountains. They discovered the wreckage and the deceased crew, and contacted authorities, who conducted an operation to recover the bodies of the crew and return them to their families. It was believed that during earlier search efforts, the paint color of the aircraft blended in closely with the mountain side, making the wreckage difficult to spot. After a few years, the paint wore off, and the shiny aluminum underneath made the plane more visible. No official cause for the crash was ever determined, but it is presumed that malfunctioning navigational equipment, and a moonless night combined with bad weather caused the pilot to not see the ridge until it was too late.
After a petition by veterans groups in Wyoming, the previously unnamed ridge was christened Bomber Mountain on 22 August 1946 by the U.S. Forest Service. In honor of the crew members, a commemorative plaque was placed on the shores of Florence Lake, {{convert|1.5|mi}} from the crash site.
- William R. Ronaghan (pilot)
- Anthony J. Tilotta (co-pilot)
- Leonard H. Phillips (navigator)
- Charles H. Suppes (bombardier)
- James A. Hinds (aircraft engineer)
- Ferguson T. Bell, Jr. (radio operator)
- Lee 'Vaughn' Miller (assistant aircraft engineer)
- Charles E. Newburn, Jr (assistant radio operator)
- Jake F. Penick (aircraft gunner)
- Lewis M. Shepard (assistant aircraft gunner)
References
Above info taken from "The Bomber Mountain Crash: A Wyoming Mystery" by Scott Madsen, Published in September, 1990
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{cite summitpost |id=154272 |name=Bomber Mountain |accessdate=2011-05-09}}
- {{cite gnis|1598289|Bomber Mountain |access-date=2011-05-09}}
{{Mountains of Wyoming}}
Category:Mountains of Big Horn County, Wyoming
Category:Mountains of Johnson County, Wyoming
Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1943
Category:Accidents and incidents involving military aircraft