Latest news with #ValerieVanHeest
New York Times
2 days ago
- General
- New York Times
75 Years After a Deadly Plane Crash, the Search for Its Wreckage Ends
In June 1950, a four-engine, propeller-driven passenger plane headed from LaGuardia Airport in New York to Minneapolis encountered a violent storm over Lake Michigan and crashed into the turbulent waters below. 'If all aboard are lost, the crash will be the most disastrous in the history of American commercial aviation,' an article on the front page of The New York Times reported the next morning about Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501. The search turned up no survivors and no plane, only small pieces of the wreck. All 58 people on board were declared dead. The few human remains that the Coast Guard skimmed off the lake's surface were buried in an unmarked mass grave. Newspapers were quickly distracted by the beginning of the Korean War. Until a team led by local explorers set out in 2004 to find the plane, the mystery of Flight 2501 was little more than fodder for conspiracy theorists. But more than 20 years later, that search has been called off. While it turned up no physical remains, explorers say, the effort revived the memory of the crash and honored the victims. On Tuesday, the 75th anniversary of the discovery of the crash, Valerie van Heest, a local maritime history enthusiast who helped revive the search, told surviving family members of the victims that, after scanning the last of the 700-square-mile section of Lake Michigan where researchers suspected the wreckage had settled, she had determined that the plane had shattered upon piercing the surface of the lake and that time had buried the remnants too deep to detect. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
75 years after the then-worst crash in US history, search ends for a plane in Lake Michigan
A group is ending a 20-year search for a plane that crashed into Lake Michigan in 1950, killing all 58 people on board, after sweeping the vast body of water using sonar technology and even getting support from an acclaimed adventure writer. When Northwest Orient Flight 2501 crashed, it was the worst aviation disaster in U.S. history. Valerie van Heest, executive director of the Michigan Shipwreck Association, said she has mixed feelings about ending the search, which began in 2004. 'It's a hard thing to have to say because part of me feels like we have failed," van Heest told The Detroit News, 'but we have done so much to keep memory of this accident and these victims at forefront that I feel like we've done better for them than if we'd found the wreckage.' After covering 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers) of Lake Michigan, Van Heest said scientists believe the plane broke up into pieces too small to be detected by side-scan sonar and likely "sunk into the muck' on the bottom. The plane, a propeller-driven DC-4, left LaGuardia Airport in New York at night on June 23, 1950, with two stops planned on the route to Seattle. An intense storm suddenly appeared and the plane went down. Debris and body parts washed ashore in South Haven, Michigan. "We know this plane hit the water with great force, and we know there was no way to survive this," said van Heest, who has written a book about the mystery, 'Fatal Crossing.' Clive Cussler, an author whose adventure fiction has sold in the millions, financially supported a search until 2017. Also known for his own shipwreck hunting and underwater exploits, Cussler died in 2020. "I hope someday the families of those lost will have closure," Cussler wrote in 2018.
Al Arabiya
3 days ago
- General
- Al Arabiya
75 Years After the Then-Worst Crash in US History, Search Ends for a Plane in Lake Michigan
A group is ending its 20-year search for a plane that crashed into Lake Michigan in 1950, killing all 58 people on board. The search employed sonar technology and even garnered support from acclaimed adventure writer, Clive Cussler, before sweeping the vast body of water. When Northwest Orient Flight 2501 crashed, it was the worst aviation disaster in US history. Valerie van Heest, executive director of the Michigan Shipwreck Association, said she has mixed feelings about ending the search, which began in 2004. 'It's a hard thing to have to say because part of me feels like we've failed,' van Heest told The Detroit News, 'but we have done so much to keep the memory of this accident and these victims at the forefront that I feel like we've done better for them than if we'd found the wreckage.' After covering 700 square miles (1,813 square kilometers) of Lake Michigan, van Heest said scientists believe the plane broke up into pieces too small to be detected by side-scan sonar and likely sunk into the muck on the bottom. The plane, a propeller-driven DC-4, left LaGuardia Airport in New York at night on June 23, 1950, with two stops planned on the route to Seattle. An intense storm suddenly appeared, and the plane went down. Debris and body parts washed ashore in South Haven, Michigan. 'We know this plane hit the water with great force, and we know there was no way to survive this,' said van Heest, who has written a book about the mystery, Fatal Crossing. Clive Cussler, an author whose adventure fiction has sold in the millions, financially supported a search until 2017. Also known for his own shipwreck hunting and underwater exploits, Cussler died in 2020. 'I hope someday the families of those lost will have closure,' Cussler wrote in 2018.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Group ends search for missing airliner that crashed into Lake Michigan in 1950, killing all 58 people on board
Search team that found missing plane in Michigan's Lake Huron aims to help more families Search team that found missing plane in Michigan's Lake Huron aims to help more families Search team that found missing plane in Michigan's Lake Huron aims to help more families A group is ending a 20-year search for a plane that crashed into Lake Michigan in 1950, killing all 58 people on board, after sweeping the vast body of water using sonar technology and even getting support from an acclaimed adventure writer. When Northwest Orient Flight 2501 crashed, it was the worst aviation disaster in U.S. history. Valerie van Heest, executive director of the Michigan Shipwreck Association, said she has mixed feelings about ending the search, which began in 2004. "It's a hard thing to have to say because part of me feels like we have failed," van Heest told The Detroit News, "but we have done so much to keep memory of this accident and these victims at forefront that I feel like we've done better for them than if we'd found the wreckage." After covering 700 square miles of Lake Michigan, Van Heest said scientists believe the plane broke up into pieces too small to be detected by side-scan sonar and likely "sunk into the muck" on the bottom. While searching for the wreckage from 2005 to 2013, the nonprofit found nine shipwrecks, but not Flight 2501. "MSRA independently continued the effort for the next 10 years to complete coverage of a 600 square mile search grid, locating two unmarked graves where victims' remains were buried, but not the wreckage," the group said in a social media post. The plane, a propeller-driven DC-4, left LaGuardia Airport in New York at night on June 23, 1950, with two stops planned on the route to Seattle. An intense storm suddenly appeared and the plane went down. According to the Michigan Shipwreck Association, the pilot was 35-year-old Captain Robert C. Lind and the co-pilot was Verne F. Wolfe, also 35, and the flight attendant was 25-year-old Bonnie Ann Feldman. The 55 passengers included 27 women, 22 men and six children, the nonprofit said. Debris and body parts washed ashore in South Haven, Michigan. "We know this plane hit the water with great force, and we know there was no way to survive this," said van Heest, who has written a book about the mystery, "Fatal Crossing." Valerie van Heest points to the general area on a map where she searched for a DC-4 in Lake Michigan, in her Holland, Mich. home March 22, 2007. Adam Bird / AP Clive Cussler, an author whose adventure fiction has sold in the millions, financially supported a search until 2017. Also known for his own shipwreck hunting and underwater exploits, Cussler died in 2020. "I hope someday the families of those lost will have closure," Cussler wrote in 2018.
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Historic gold pocket watch that was lost in deadly shipwreck is finally returned home 165 years later
After lying hidden beneath the depths of Lake Michigan for over a century, a historic gold pocket watch - lost in a deadly shipwreck - has finally made it home to the United Kingdom. In the dead of night in 1860, the steamship Lady Elgin collided with another vessel, plunging into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan and dragging 300 souls to a watery grave in what remains the deadliest shipwreck in Great Lakes history, BBC reported. Then, in 1992, while exploring the wreckage off the Illinois shore, divers made a remarkable discovery - nestled among the remains lay a gold pocket watch, still attached to its chain and fob. But this was no ordinary chain - engraved with the initials 'H.I.,' it once belonged to Herbert Ingram, a prominent British journalist and politician. Now, 165 years after the tragic sinking, the piece of history has returned to Boston, Lincolnshire - near Ingram's hometown - where it will take its rightful place on display at the Boston Guildhall museum. 'Returning this watch is the right thing to do,' Holland-based historian and author Valerie van Heest told Fox 17 News. 'This is reminding people that shipwrecks affected people, affected families, and this shows that 165 years later, we care,' she added. 'People care about the individuals lost.' After lying hidden beneath the depths of Lake Michigan for over a century, a historic gold pocket watch - lost in a deadly shipwreck - has finally made it home to the United Kingdom (pictured) In the dead of night in 1860, the steamship Lady Elgin collided with another vessel, plunging into the frigid waters of Lake Michigan and dragging 300 souls to a watery grave in what remains the deadliest shipwreck in Great Lakes history (pictured: illustrated wreck) It was no ordinary chain - engraved with the initials 'H.I.,' it once belonged to Herbert Ingram, a prominent British journalist and politician who perished in the wreck alongside his son (pictured: illustrated photo of Ingram) Now, 165 years after the tragic sinking, the piece of history has returned to Boston, Lincolnshire - near Ingram's hometown - where it will take its rightful place on display at the Boston Guildhall museum (pictured) On the night of September 8, 1860, Lady Elgin was making her return voyage to Milwaukee from Chicago, carrying a group of mostly Irish passengers, when a violent storm swept across the lake. In the darkness, the Lady Elgin was struck by the Augusta - an unlit and overloaded schooner - sending hundreds to their deaths in just minutes. Among the lives lost in the wreck were Ingram and his son, whose bodies were later recovered and returned to Britain for burial. Ingram was a prominent public figure - instrumental in bringing fresh water, gas and railway connections to the community, as reported by the BBC. 'He was a member of parliament,' van Heest told Fox 17. 'He was also the founder of the London Illustrated News, which was the first time a newspaper printed images in the paper,' she added. 'So he was really the founder of pictorial journalism.' All that remained of that fateful night were fragments of the Lady Elgin, scattered across nearly a mile of the lakebed - silent echoes of tragedy that van Heest's team began documenting back in 1992. On the night of September 8, 1860, Lady Elgin was making her return voyage to Milwaukee, carrying a group of mostly Irish passengers, when a violent storm swept across the lake -resulting in an unlit schooner colliding with the ship (pictured: illustrated wreck) Among the lives lost in the wreck were Ingram and his son, whose bodies were later recovered and returned to Britain for burial (pictured: Lake Michigan) Ingram (pictured) was a prominent public figure - instrumental in bringing fresh water, gas and railway connections to the community and the founder of the London Illustrated News, which was the first time a newspaper printed images in the paper Holland-based historian and author Valerie van Heest's team was exploring the wreckage (pictured) in 1992, but the location was leaked - resulting in other divers exploring the remains and ultimately finding the gold watch But her team wasn't the only group drawn to the century-old wreckage, as other divers were also exploring the site. 'The location had leaked, and a trio of divers I have just recently learned, came upon a pocket watch,' van Heest told Fox News. 'A gold pocket watch, an extraordinary discovery.' Remarkably, the long-lost artifact was found in relatively good condition, with experts attributing its preservation to the lake's cold, low-oxygen depths, which helped prevent significant corrosion over the years, People reported. However, for more than 30 years, the divers guarded the discovery of the 16-carat pocket watch in complete secrecy, keeping its existence hidden from the world. Eventually, the divers cleaned the watch and reached out to van Heest. Through her research, she found that Ingram's descendants were still alive in England, and that the museum in his hometown was preparing an exhibit about his legacy, as reported by Fox. 'I very quickly came to the realization it doesn't belong in America,' van Heest told the BBC. Remarkably, the long-lost artifact (pictured) was found in relatively good condition, with experts attributing its preservation to the lake's cold, low-oxygen depths, which helped prevent significant corrosion over the years However, for more than 30 years, the divers guarded the discovery of the 16-carat pocket watch in complete secrecy - until they contacted van Heest (pictured) about the watch, which she purchased and donated to the town Through her research, she found that Ingram's descendants were still alive in England, and that the museum in his hometown was preparing an exhibit about his legacy (pictured: Ingram statue) In a statement about van Heest's offering, the museum's arts and heritage manager, Luke Skeritt, said: 'This find is truly a once-in-a-lifetime discovery' (pictured: van Heest and Boston mayor Councilor Barrie Pierpoint) 'It belongs in Boston where Herbert Ingram was from, where a statue of him still stands,' she added. She then got in contact with the Boston Guildhall museum and personally acquired the watch, determined to donate it as a gift to the town. 'So many people lost their lives within minutes of hitting the water,' van Heest told Fox 17. 'They didn't have any personal artifacts, and here I was offering not only an artifact, but Herbert Ingram's personal watch,' she added. 'It was an extraordinary, serendipitous occurrence.' In a statement about van Heest's offering, the museum's arts and heritage manager, Luke Skeritt, said: 'This find is truly a once-in-a-lifetime discovery'. 'The sort of thing you read about in textbooks and not something you expect to read in an email on a mid-week working day.'
