Meltin' Pot

The Meltin' Pot crashed in the sea in 1942, so-named because of the mix of nationalities of its crew and its captain's name, Curtis Melton. The men were separated in the immediate aftermath of the crash, and one group was rescued thanks to the bravery of a young girl and her ailing mother, who spotted the accident from the shore and set out in their little boat. This history comprises historical research and interviews with the only surviving principal players, the captain Curtis Melton, and the girl who found and rescued the men, Elisabeth Ferguson OBE, now eighty-two years old.The author's research recently reunited these two characters. A book of three parts, it encompasses the story of the Meltin' Pot and its crew, drawing heavily on the memoirs of one of the crew, tail gunner Lee Kessler, and his personal accounts of various missions including his experience of rescue with some of the men who were separated from those Elizabeth Ferguson rescued; the story of the crash itself; and the recent diving projects underway to bring up the wreck. The author has been in close contact with sub-aqua club who found the bomber in 2002 and discusses their work in detail.