'Dutch' Van Kirk, navigator of Enola Gay, di | CNN

Contents:

• THEODORE “DUTCH” VAN KIRK, NAVIGATOR ON THE ENOLA GAY
• THEODORE VAN KIRK, 93, ENOLA GAY NAVIGATOR, DI
• THEODORE ‘DUTCH’ VAN KIRK, NAVIGATOR ON ENOLA GAY, DI AT 93
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• ENOLA GAY
• THEODORE VAN KIRK, ENOLA GAY NAVIGATOR, PASS AWAY
• THEODORE VAN KIRK, LAST CREW MEMBER OF ENOLA GAY, DI US AGED 93
• A BSH WH HISTORY: MEETG THE NAVIGATOR OF THE ENOLA GAY B-29
• THEODORE J. ‘DUTCH’ VANKIRK, NAVIGATOR OF THE ENOLA GAY, DI AT 93
• HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON
• LAST SURVIVOR OF ENOLA GAY CREW DI
• ENOLA GAY: THE MISSN

THEODORE “DUTCH” VAN KIRK, NAVIGATOR ON THE ENOLA GAY

Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, navigator on the Enola Gay, scrib arrivg at Wendover Field, Utah and figurg out that he would be takg part a missn to drop an atomic bomb.

Air Force, via Agence France-Prs — Getty ImagJuly 29, 2014Theodore (Dutch) Van Kirk, the navigator and last survivg crew member of the Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortrs that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima the last days of World War II, died on Monday at his home Stone Mounta, Ga. 6, 1945, the Enola Gay, piloted by Col.

From that spot, at the end of a long tunnel atop the bomb bays, he took the plane’s beargs, g a hand-held sextant to gui wh the the Enola Gay reached Iwo Jima as the sun rose, began an ascent to 31, 000 feet. Ferebee, said, “I got , ” announcg that the Enola Gay was over his aimg pot, the T-shaped Ai Bridge. His navigatg skills had brought the Enola Gay to s target only a few sends behd schle at the ncln of a six-and-a-half-hour Ferebee released the bomb, known as Ltle Boy, and 43 sends later, at 1, 890 feet above ground zero, explod a nuclear ferno, leavg tens of thoands ad or dyg and turng Hiroshima to srched Cabell/The Telegraph, via Associated PrsColonel Tibbets executed a divg turn to avoid the blast effects, but the Enola Gay was buffeted by a pair of shock wav.

THEODORE VAN KIRK, 93, ENOLA GAY NAVIGATOR, DI

”A versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 18 of the New York edn wh the headle: Theodore Van Kirk, 93, Enola Gay Navigator, Di. 6, 1945, guid the Enola Gay over Hiroshima to drop the first nuclear bomb the history of warfare, died Monday at an assisted livg facily Stone Mounta, Ga. He was last survivg member of the Enola Gay’s 12-member crew, Van Kirk died of age-related , said his son Tom.

In 1995, anti-nuclear monstrators poured blood and ash over a piece of the Enola Gay on display at the Smhsonian Instutn’s Natnal Air and Space Mm. 15, 1945, the Japane Kirk was equently asked whether he and the Enola Gay’s other crew members experienced any physil or emotnal damage om the bombg. Tibbets, who remaed one of Van Kirk’s lifelong iends, beme the Enola Gay’s crew traed for months Wendover, Utah.

After the Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. The Enola Gay is a B-29 Superfortrs, which pilot Pl Tibbets named after his mother, and which had been stripped of everythg but the necsi, so as to be thoands of pounds lighter than an ordary plane of that make.

THEODORE ‘DUTCH’ VAN KIRK, NAVIGATOR ON ENOLA GAY, DI AT 93

While did not drop the bomb on Nagasaki, the Enola Gay did take flight to get data on the weather the lead-up to the send strike on Japan.

In the aftermath of World War II, the Army Air Forc flew the Enola Gay durg an atomic tt program the Pacific; was then livered to be stored an airfield Arizona before beg flown to Illois and transferred to the Smhsonian July 1949.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB

But even unr the ctody of the mm, the Enola Gay remaed at an air force base Texas. The Commtee for the Rtoratn and Display of the Enola Gay now has 9, 000 signatur of prott. Adams, who is leavg his job after 10 relatively ntroversy-ee years, sent back a three-page answer stiffly turng down her requt for the Enola Gay.

ENOLA GAY

Demonstrators prott at the Enola Gay exhib at the the Smhsonian Natnal Air and Space Mm's Steven F.

And as long as is on display, the qutns rais are likely to ntue — after all, they have been wh the Enola Gay sce first beme a hoehold name. Enola Gay, the B-29bomber that was ed by the Uned Stat on Augt 6, 1945, to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, the first time the explosive vice had been ed on an enemy target. ” The Enola Gay—Tibbets had a matenance man pat that name on the aircraft’s nose shortly before takeoff—was acpanied by var other plan.

THEODORE VAN KIRK, ENOLA GAY NAVIGATOR, PASS AWAY

Tibbets flew the Enola Gay back to Tian, where he was award the Distguished Service Cross. Three days later the Enola Gay nducted weather rennaissance the lead-up to the bombg of Nagasaki, Japan.

THEODORE VAN KIRK, LAST CREW MEMBER OF ENOLA GAY, DI US AGED 93

Japan officially surrenred on September 2, Enola Gay remaed service for several years before beg given to the Smhsonian Instutn on July 3, 1949. In 2003 the fully rtored Enola Gay was put on display at the NASM’s Steven F. He was on the crew of the Enola Gay, which dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan.

A BSH WH HISTORY: MEETG THE NAVIGATOR OF THE ENOLA GAY B-29

B-29 Superfortrs lled the Enola Gay over Hiroshima, Japan, on a sunny Augt day.

Once over s target, the Enola Gay unload the first atomic bomb dropped war. His ath means there are now no survivg members of the Enola Gay’s crew who, by dog their jobs, beme an early and tegral part the ongog narrative over nuclear weapons.

THEODORE J. ‘DUTCH’ VANKIRK, NAVIGATOR OF THE ENOLA GAY, DI AT 93

Theodore Van Kirk, the last survivg crew member of the Enola Gay, and the navigator on the famo B-29 Superfortrs that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, durg World War II, died Monday Stone Mounta, Geia. 6, the Enola Gay, crewed by Van Kirk, Tibbets and 10 others, dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima; Van Kirk, a pta at the time, was only 24 years old.

HIROSHIMA’S ENOLA GAY RRIED 12 MEN, HOPE AND THE WORLD’S ADLIT WEAPON

His skill and profsnalism ensured the Enola Gay arrived at the drop pot a mere 15 sends after the ially planned time, que an acplishment given technologil and logistil limatns durg WWII. He was Kirk was the navigator of the Enola Gay, a B-29 Superfortrs aircraft that dropped “Ltle Boy” – the world’s first atomic bomb – over the Japane cy of Hiroshima on 6 Augt 1945. But there was ltle mentn of the crew of the B-29, hastily named the Enola Gay after the mother of the pilot, Col.

My nnectn wh the Enola Gay was meetg the navigator on that missn, Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk.

The last survivg member of the Enola Gay crew, Van Kirk died on July 27, 2014.

LAST SURVIVOR OF ENOLA GAY CREW DI

"Before dawn, he took his place as the navigator the Enola Gay. Together, the attacks hastened Japan’s surrenr and marked the begng of a new era VanKirk, who was wily reported to be the last survivor of the 12-member Enola Gay crew, died July 28 at a retirement muny Stone Mounta, Ga. He was 93 and had recently veloped vascular disease, said his son Tom VanKirk was servg stati as a navigatn stctor 1944 when he received a ll om Tibbets, his former mandg officer Europe and the soon-to-be manr of the Enola Gay.

He said that he was “proud to be on the Enola Gay” bee had saved liv by endg the war.

On Augt 6, 1945, the crew of a modified Boeg B-29 Superfortrs named Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb ed warfare, lled “Ltle Boy, ” on the cy of Hiroshima, Japan.

ENOLA GAY: THE MISSN

As a new and adly weapon, an atomic bomber, Enola Gay facilated a turng pot human history as hered the dawn of the Atomic Age and the threat of nuclear war.

Tibbets and his crew took off om Tian  Enola Gay at 2:45 am on Augt 6, 1945. Upon visual lotn of Hiroshima, Tom Ferebee aimed for the cy center and Enola Gay dropped the “Ltle Boy” bomb om 31, 000 feet at 9:15 am. After “Ltle Boy” left the forward bomb bay, Enola Gay lurched upward, and Tibbets iated a high angle evasive manver to get as far away om Hiroshima as possible.

” Enola Gay land back at Tian 12 hours later at approximately 3 pm. Enola Gay tail gunner Bob Caron took this picture of the cloud of smoke billowg 20, 000 feet above Hiroshima after the explosn of the Ltle Boy atomic bomb on Augt 6, 1945.

The history and memory of Enola Gay and s part the atomic attacks on Japan, and their effect on endg the war the Pacific and the nuclear tensns of the Cold War, reflects differg viewpots. The Smhsonian has been at the center of bat over those differg perspectiv terms of the terpretatn and public display of Enola Gay.