Naval Airman Bitten During Rescue After Atlantic Aircraft Crash

On September 23, 1961, a U.S. Navy P5M patrol bomber ditched in the Atlantic Ocean approximately 165 miles northeast of Bermuda after one of its engines caught fire. Of the ten crew members aboard, three survived the initial crash and spent more than 12 hours in the open ocean awaiting rescue. During this extended period in the water, the survivors reported that oceanic whitetip sharks circled their vicinity throughout the night, though they did not attack during this phase. The following morning, a merchant vessel, the African Pilot, located the survivors and initiated rescue procedures. As one 22-year-old Aviation Metalsmith was being pulled aboard via cargo net, he was swept back into the sea. He was immediately bitten by one or more sharks, sustaining lacerations to his right shoulder blade and back. After an additional two hours in the water, a small boat from the rescue vessel successfully retrieved him. The victim was transported to Kindley Air Force Base in Bermuda and treated at the U.S. Naval Dispensary. His attending physician, Lt. Robert H. Meaders of the Navy Medical Corps, documented that his injuries, while requiring treatment, were not life-threatening. The shark species was identified as an oceanic whitetip (Carcharhinus longimanus) by marine experts Dr. William C. Schroeder and Dr. L.P. L. Schultz based on photographs and sketches provided by observers. Seven crew members remain unaccounted for from the original crash.