57 RESCUE (CANADA)      APRIL 1, 2004

PROGRESS REPORT  (NUMBER 1)

by KARL KJARSGAARD

Project Manager

Today is a special day as it is the 80th birthday of the RCAF. I think it is most appropriate that on this special occasion that 57 Rescue (Canada) should make the first progress report of our historic quest to locate and recover RCAF Handley Page Halifax LW170.

Canada had the greatest percentage of  her population in military service of any Allied nation that served in World War Two. The leader in the military services of this nation was the Royal Canadian Air Force which by wars end was the 4th largest airforce in all of the free world.

Leading the way, in the Canadian contribution to Allied victory, were the RCAF bomber squadrons and their gallant crews. The greatest symbol of all their efforts and sacrifice was epitomized by their aircraft they flew into battle and the Halifax, this Halifax LW170, becomes the greatest symbol of all. She symbolizes the efforts of not only the best of a generation of Canadian patriots but also those of our friends and neighbours of the United States and the United Kingdom.

Perhaps it was meant to be that the "impossible" Halifax NA337 salvage from deep waters in Norway and the difficult recovery of Halifax LW682 from the swamp in Belgium were training projects, stepping-stones as it were,  for what we are setting out to accomplish in the near future. I say in the near future because in the coming months, or even years if this is what it takes, we will gather the resources and technology and we will succeed!  I do not lightly use the battle cry of airforce veterans, "Press on Regardless, whatever the cost...",  as I know the cost of OUR freedom paid by them.  Halifax LW170 will be a wonderful tribute to all of them. I hope you will support 57 Rescue (Canada) in this most honourable cause!

On to business - These are the HALI-FACTS:

The website has been a great success getting out the message about the discovery and news of Halifax LW170. We have had over 500 hits on the website in the past 2 weeks and these are only the original hits and not return visitors. From this site alone we have got over 85 new members filling out the membership forms. I am swamped with the return reponses and the email messages being sent out now will be the start of the official process of welcoming our new members to the Halifax family. Please remember that when you receive this first update that we are counting on your response of support in the form of member fees and donations being sent in to the 57 Rescue (Canada) address.

With regard to the Charitable Tax Status our tax lawyer has initiated the proceedings for this and has been pushing for a fast track handling of our application. Once this processing has been finalized we can approach those institutions, foundations, and corporations who will support such a historic project. I have great hopes for locating sponsors and backers for the project from such sources, and the Charitable Tax Status is the key to opening up those possibilities.

We have an article coming out later this month in Ireland about LW170, an article in Legion magazine later this spring and a blurb in Airforce Magazine in late April. I am meeting next week with the US embassy attache' and a USAF public relations officer, as well as civilian US press people to pass on the LW170 story to the American people. I have not had the time to get the story out in force in the UK but this will be happening before the end of April starting with the warbird and historic groups in the UK.

I had a very promising email from the owners of the research vessel, the "Professor Logachev", in which they stated they could offer me a lower rate for their vessel which could lower our sonar survey costs by 20%! So I will be revamping our sonar survey budget and over all costs accordingly on the website. ****Please note that the exact website address has been changed to        www.57rescuecanada.com     and you should change this on your computer. The web provider for the original site was getting so much traffic about LW170  that they wanted to charge business rates for the website just because it was so popular! So we have a new hosting service at a much lower rate. The email address for 57Rescue (Canada) and myself remains the same as shown on the website. You will still be forwarded from the original site to this new website location if you want to keep it simple.

I have had more success with finding the family of crews of  LW170. The daughter of the pilot who ditched LW170, Sqdn. Ldr. Philip Piejus, is Ros Piejus of George, South Africa and she is excited about the discovery and project. She is going to send me some of her fathers papers for the history of LW170. Also, the nephew of the bombaimer of the Russell Earl crew, John Brady of Montreal, emailed us and pledged enthusiastic support for the project.

After two years of searching out all documents about the ditching and final resting place of  LW170 we now believe we are within a (5mile by 5 mile box) of where she lies. I have been working with Bob Kutzleb, a deep-sea aircraft search expert, of Syracuse, NY who was responsible for locating and retreiving aircraft for the US Navy for many years. He is confident, after reviewing all the data we have collected on LW170, that she will be found by sonar. The all important evaluation and inspection of the airframe must be done and we must have video images of all this to begin the actual recovery. 

Let us begin our race by putting one foot in front of the other and let it be a very large collective step of all members of 57 Rescue. I am counting on all of you to lobby, influence, pester, cajole, and convince any and all corporate, private, and goverment officials to fund this project. Go to those with historic interests and those with vision and intestinal fortitude. They will be the ones who can help us. Leave the others behind and let us get on with our mission and our target. She is out there and she is waiting for the right people to rescue her and her history.

P.O.R.         Karl Kjarsgaard - Project Manager

Halifax LW170 - ditched intact off the coast of Ireland