Theodore “Dutch” Van Kirk, Navigator on the Enola Gay | The Natnal WWII Mm | New Orleans

Contents:

• THEODORE VAN KIRK, 93, ENOLA GAY NAVIGATOR, DI
• THEODORE “DUTCH” VAN KIRK, NAVIGATOR ON THE ENOLA GAY
• ENOLA GAY
• WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ENOLA GAY AFTER IT DROPPED THE ATOMIC BOMB
• ENOLA GAY NAVIGATOR STILL HAS A CLEAR VIEW ON THE BOMB
• THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB
• TAG ARCHIV: ENOLA GAY’S NAVIGATOR’S LOG

THEODORE VAN KIRK, 93, ENOLA GAY NAVIGATOR, DI

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.

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

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. ”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. 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.

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.

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.

ENOLA GAY

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.

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. 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.

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

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. 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 NAVIGATOR STILL HAS A CLEAR VIEW ON THE BOMB

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. As the navigator aboard the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the bomb, he was 5 up, over southeastern Japan, wh a clear view of the mhroom terviews last week, van Kirk talked about his role the Uned Stat' most famo and ntroversial bombg n, as did the man who was his mandg officer, Pl Tibbets, then a litenant lonel and pilot of the Enola Gay.

" The Enola Gay dropped the 8, 900-pound bomb, nicknamed "Ltle Boy, " over Hiroshima at 8:15 a. By the time the Enola Gay reached Iwo Jima, the sun was g up, a multihued daybreak that stck van Kirk as wonrfully betiful. When explod, a light filled the Enola Gay's b wh an tensy that van Kirk likened to a "photographer's bulb gog off.

THE CREW OF THE ENOLA GAY ON DROPPG THE ATOMIC BOMB

Van Kirk’s navigator statn the Enola Gay. Boeg B-29 Superfortrs "Enola Gay". He was on the crew of the Enola Gay, which dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan.

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.

TAG ARCHIV: ENOLA GAY’S NAVIGATOR’S LOG

On Augt 6, 1945, the B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on the cy of Hiroshima. "Colonel Ferebee died Florida 2000, at the age of Air Force radar specialist Jab Ber was the only man who served on both the Enola Gay the Hiroshima bombg missn and the Bock's Car three days later when s crew bombed Nagasaki. "Stiborik died of a heart attack 1984 at age Jeppson was only 23 years old when he was assigned to acpany the atomic bomb on the Enola Gay.