Swamp Ghost will not be restored

Source - The National

Swamp Ghost, the B17E Flying Fortress that lay in a near perfect state at Agiambo Swamp in Oro province for more than 60 years, will not be restored and flown at airshows as promised by the aviation enthusiast who salvaged it.

American construction businessman, Fred Hagen, now wants to display it at the Pime Air and Space museum in Tucson, Arizona one of the largest air museums in the world.

A news article in the Fly Past, an aviation magazine in the United Kingdom said the Swamp Ghost was last month aboard a ship in New Zealand, on its final leg of the journey to Los Angeles and then to Tucson, Arizona, the United States.

PAC slams Swamp Ghost sale

So, here unfolds the continuing saga of the Swamp Ghost - sourced from The National reported by Frank Senge Kolma. The National newspaper's Editorial Comment today was dedicated to the Swamp Ghost.

Parliament was told never to consider selling the Swamp Ghost aircraft to any overseas salvage operators.

The Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee said in its report into the National Museum and Art Gallery that the Swamp Ghost was grossly under-valued - no surprise there since the valuation taken as "independent" was done by the salvager.

The National Museum accepted as independent, a valuation of the Swamp Ghost aircraft made by a shareholder of the purchasing company who was the actual physical salvor retained by and acting for and on behalf of the buyers of the wreck.

War Relics come under close eye

Since the story of the Swamp Ghost a.k.a. B17-E Flying Fortress emerged, with its eventual departure from Papua New Guinea, a decision has been made that any salvage and export of war relics in future must be fulfilled under agreements vetted by the trustees and must be signed off by the Minister of Culture & Tourism.

This was among several recommendations made by the PNG Government in its new agreement for the sale of the most famous war relic, the Swamp Ghost.

The Minister for Culture and Tourism Charles Abel said the vetting & signing will be strictly on a case by case basis against a predetermined schedule of requirements, less what had already been retrieved.

Swamp Ghost has left PNG

Well.....I reported in my earlier blog that the Swamp Ghost's departure from PNG was imminent. In today's two dailies, you will read that yes - that has certainly happened, is happening right now as I blog, or the Ghost is just about to leave the shores of PNG forever.

The Post Courier report on Page 4 follows a large headline on its front page - 'SWAMP GHOST LEAVES PNG'. Below is the report. Send me your your comment or take part in the poll:

 Alfred Hagen, the elusive American who is shipping PNG's world famous war relic 'Swamp Ghost' to the United States left Lae yesterday after overseeing the loading of the ghost on shipping containers.

The containers are at the Lae main wharf but shipping sources are unaware of the ship they will be loaded on or their final destination. 

The war relic was yesterday taken out of the Voco Point timber yard of PNG Forest Products, where its has been sitting for the past 3 years and loaded into three semi-trailers.

The aircraft was dismantled and packed when Mr Hagen arrived in Lae. He was booked into the Lae International Hotel from January 14 to 20 and took yesterday's midday flight to Port Moresby.

Mr Hagen, from Philadelphia, set up Aero Archeology Ltd in 2000 to recover the war relic.

Despite a massive public campaign to stop the export of the wreck, the National Government relented to threats of court action by Mr Hagen and allowed the export to proceed.

It is understood that clearance for the export was given on September 10 2008 by the National Executive Council against the recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which in 2006 found that the salvage of the war relic from the Agiambo Swamp in Oro (Northern) Province was illegal.

Export of 'Swamp Ghost' imminent

                      by Albert H. Cross - Australia

The illegal export of Papua New Guinea's most famous war relic, the "Swamo Ghost' B-17 airplane war wreck, could take place this month.

Papua New Guinea's well-preserved war wrecks attract tourists from all over the world, injecting money into local economies.

The illegal removal of 89 aircraft wrecks during the past decade has yielded little benefit to the nation and its people.

Papua New Guinea's best wreck, the Swamp Ghost, landed intact in the Agiambo swamp in Oro province on February 23, 1942.

The bomber is internationally recognised as a symbol of WW11 in PNG.

Controversy erupted in 2006 when American businessman Alfred "Fred" Hagen salvaged the wreck, chopped it into pieces and transported it to Bismark Shipping in Lae to await export. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigation produced a report entitled, "Sale and Export of the Swamp Ghost Aircraft and War Surplus Materials."