Where Is the REAL Swamp Ghost Now

On February 23rd, 1942, B-17E Flying Fortress 41-2446 turned away from a bombing raid on Rabaul with a flak hole through her wing and enemy fighters behind her. Low on fuel and unable to clear the Owen Stanley Mountains, Captain Fred Eaton set her down on her belly in what he thought was a wheat field. It was the Agaiambo Swamp in Papua New Guinea. All nine men survived and walked out after nearly six weeks in the jungle. The plane stayed behind for 64 years. Australian soldiers spotted her again in 1972, the press named her the Swamp Ghost, and she became one of the most famous B-17 wrecks in the world. But what happened to the real Swamp Ghost after that? She was pulled out of the swamp in 2006, held on a dock for almost four years, shipped across the Pacific, and finally came home to a place that ties her whole story together. Today she is somewhere you can still stand right next to her. If your father, grandfather or uncle flew in a B-17 or served in the Pacific, or if you've ever visited Ford Island at Pearl Harbor, I'd truly love to hear their story in the comments. 🔔 Subscribe so you don't miss the next one 🔔 Sources: Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum (pearlharboraviationmuseum.org) Pacific Wrecks (pacificwrecks.com) The Swamp Ghost crew archive (theswampghost.com) Aero Archaeology (aeroarchaeology.com) Smithsonian Magazine (smithsonianmag.com) Wikipedia: Swamp Ghost, Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Bombing of Rabaul (1942), Norden bombsight