Plaque to honour crash anniversary

A memorial plaque is to be unveiled next week to commemorate the 50th anniversary of a plane crash off the Cork coast which claimed the lives of 28 people.

Flying Tiger Lines Flight 923, which was on charter to the US military, ditched in the sea during a raging storm while on route from New Jersey to Frankfurt.

Past the mid-point from Newfoundland to Shannon, a fire in one engine led to the accidental, permanent shutdown of a second engine. The pilot was forced to ditch in the sea south of Galley Head near Clonakilty when a third engine caught fire.

The passengers included wives and children of military men who were serving in West Germany during the Cold War and about 30 combat-ready paratroopers.

Of the 76 passengers and crew on board, 48 survived.

Only one 25-person life raft was available for all survivors and they also had to cope with gale force winds. Eventually a Swiss freighter, the Celerina, rescued them.

A spokesman for the survivors, Fred Caruso, said the ceremony would include the dedication of a plaque to be mounted at Galley Head lighthouse to mark the important role played by the Cork Airport Rescue Teams and the services of Cork hospitals.

The plaque will be erected on Sunday at 3.30pm.