1932 Kimberley rescue
Atlantis refuelling in Koepang
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| Occurrence summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 15 May 1932– 6 July 1932 |
| Site |
Cape St Lambert 14°20′1.2″S 127°46′45.4″E / 14.333667°S 127.779278°ECoordinates: 14°20′1.2″S 127°46′45.4″E / 14.333667°S 127.779278°E |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 2 |
| Aircraft type | Junkers W 33 |
| Aircraft name | Atlantis |
| Registration | D-1925 |
| Flight origin | Cologne, Germany |
| Stopover | |
| Last stopover | Koepang, Dutch Timor |
| Destination | Darwin, Australia |
The 1932 Kimberley rescue was an aviation incident that occurred in northern Australia during an attempt to circumnavigate the world in a Junkers W 33 seaplane. After departing Koepang, pilot Hans Bertram and mechanic Adolph Klausmann endured a storm in the Timor Sea on 15 May 1932 and were forced to land in a remote area of the north-western Australian coast. The stranded men spent almost six weeks severely deprived of food and water and were close to death when they were rescued by a search party of local Aboriginal people on 22 June.
On 29 February 1932 four aviators flew out of Cologne, Germany on a round-the-world flight attempt. The group comprised pilot Hans Bertram, co-pilot Thom, mechanic Adolph Klausmann and cameraman Alexander von Lagorio, and was intended to find potential markets for Germany's aviation industry as well as a goodwill tour visiting German communities along the route. The plane was a Junkers W 33 seaplane (float configuration), registration D-1925, named Atlantis.
Over ten weeks, the group successfully flew through Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iraq, India, Ceylon, Burma, Thailand, Malaya, Dutch East Indies and Dutch Timor. After arriving in Jakarta, it was agreed that Bertram and Klausmann would continue flying down the Indonesian archipelago and on to Australia, while Thom and von Lagorio would travel separately and the four would rendezvous in Shanghai, China.
Their engine was overhauled in the Dutch naval aerodrome in Soerabaja (now Surabaya), Dutch East Indies and the pair departed from there on 13 May, stopping for fuel at a bay near Koepang (now Kupang) in the western part of Dutch Timor the following day. At midnight on 14 May Bertram and Klausmann left Koepang for Darwin, expecting the 450 nautical miles (830 km; 520 mi) trip to take about 5 or 6 hours. They flew over the Timor Sea and had intended to land at dawn the next day but they encountered a severe storm and, low on fuel, were forced to land their seaplane in the first sheltered bay they found.
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