Description:

Navigator’s Flight Log of the Enola Gay Atomic Bomb Mission to Hiroshima Entirely Filled Out in the Hand of Dutch Van Kirk

ENOLA GAY. Document Signed, “Dutch Van Kirk”, as Navigator - Enola Gay, 3 pp., in graphite, August 6, 1945, Hiroshima, 23” x 9”, being a navigator's log of the Enola Gay. Fine condition.

On August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Each page has successive entries from the time of take-off to the return to base. The bomber lifted off at 0245 hours. Van Kirk noted the time in his log. Van Kirk led the Enola Gay leftward on to a 345-degree heading and began the climb to 30,800 feet. "BOMB AWAY" is written at 0915.

On the first of three pages, Van Kirk has written, "This Navigator's log has been filled out entirely in my own hand as I did during our historic flight over Hiroshima to drop the first Atomic Bomb on August 6, 1945. The purpose of the log was to record flight data I used during the flight to keep the plane on course and on time. The target was the Aioi Bridge in Hiroshima. The log served its purpose as we dropped the atomic bomb both on time and on target. As you can see on the log, the atomic bomb was dropped at 9:15 AM, Tinian time when we were at an altitude of 31,060 feet over Hiroshima. Dutch Van Kirk, Navigator Enola Gay 6 Aug. 1945".

The original Enola Gay Log made on August 6, 1945 was auctioned in 2007, with an estimate of $350,000 to $450,000. It sold for $385,000. This one, here offered, is not the original log used on the plane, but a later handwritten version, also entirely in the hand of Dutch Van Kirk, with all the original entries of the original log. Being that a later copy of Einstein's relativity manuscript, rewritten in his hand 40 years after the original, sold for over 5 million dollars, we feel this log also has an historic value. The logbook by the co-pilots of the Enola Gay sold at Christie's for $350,000 in 2002.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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May 26, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
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