Other events in Baltic States

Yesterday, a commemoration ceremony took place in Liepaja (southwestern Latvia), in honor of U.S. airmen presumed lost when their aircraft was shot down by Soviet fighter planes on April 8, 1950, during an operational mission over the Baltic Sea.

Participating in the ceremony was U.S. Ambassador to Latvia Judith Garber, Deputy Mayor of Liepaja Gunars Ansins, as well as representatives from the Latvian Naval Forces, Latvian Reserve Officers Union and the Youth Guard, writes LETA.

Addressing the ceremony by the Mother Sea Monument in Liepaja, dedicated to those lost at sea, the ambassador thanked local residents for retaining the memory of the lost pilots. The ambassador also thanked the Latvian government for its assistance in investigating the incident that took place many years ago.

A special plaque honoring the lost pilots has been put up next to the monument.

The Latvian ambassador also pointed to the close cooperation between U.S. and Latvian soldiers, who are currently serving side-by-side in Afghanistan and in other international missions.

As reported, on April 8, 1950, a PB4Y2 Privateer aircraft – carrying a crew of ten Americans – was shot down by Soviet fighter planes over the Baltic Sea. Search and rescue efforts to find the airmen continued until April 16th, 1950, but were unsuccessful. The only known eyewitnesses to the incident were the Soviet fighter pilots who shot down the plane. The U.S. Navy issued a presumptive finding of death for the crew on April 11, 1951.