Artists at Disney Animation have created unique nose art for a B-17 called Swamp Ghost, which was lost on a mission in the Pacific during World War II. In what may be the first collaboration by Disney since the end of the war, the studio created art that depicts a Donald Duck character emerging from a swamp with extended wings. The project was announced at the Pacific Aviation Museum’s gala over the weekend.
The aircraft was lost in Papua New Guinea in 1942 after running low on fuel. The crew survived an emergency landing and although the airplane was believed lost, it was discovered intact by a Royal Australian Air Force helicopter in 1972. The airplane was recovered, cleaned up and placed on display at the Pacific Aviation Museum on Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. During the war, most Flying Fortresses acquired affectionate names and nose art, much of which was designed by Disney Studios. The New Guinea B-17, however, hadn’t been in service long enough to have picked up a name. It was christened Swamp Ghost after it was discovered. It has been on display at the museum in as-is condition since 2014. It joins more than 40 other aircraft on display on Ford Island.
