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SB2C Found off Maui...

Mon Jan 18, 2010 8:48 am

Navy plane off Maui
By Associated Press

A Hawaii scuba tour operator said he believes he's found the submerged wreckage of a World War II-era U.S. Navy dive bomber in waters off Maui.

Brad Varney said the aircraft appears to be a nearly intact Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless. He said the only detached part was the top tail rudder, which he found resting on the sand not far away.

Varney says he learned of the plane from a fisherman who complained fish were hiding under its wings.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maritime archaeologist and historian Hans Van Tilburg said naval records indicate only six Dauntlesses were lost in waters near Maui.

He said based on a photo by Varney, it appeared the wreck had the distinctive cockpit shape of a Dauntless.



Found it here:
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/breaking/81750822.html
Last edited by Warbirdnerd on Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:34 am

Another job for Taras!

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:06 am

If an attempt was made to recover this plane, would it survive the trip to the top seeing that it has been in salt water for so many years?

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Mon Jan 18, 2010 6:46 pm

Heck with the salt water........will it survive the Navy lawyers?

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 12:29 am

Depends on how deep she is resting and how far you can deep six the navy lawyers.Sharks wont eat them out of professional courtesy.

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:23 am

The plane is in pretty good shape and would survive being taken to the surface... I really hope they don't raise the plane though... It's going to be a great dive site here on Maui... It's fairly shallow so it's a really easy dive..

Here are my photos from the dive (first shots after 55-6 years)

http://www.scubapost.net/scubablogs/scu ... s-dougless

If you have any questions, feel free to ask... I hope to dive it again in the next few weeks!

Sean

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:45 am

Are you sure it is an SBD-5?

Seems like there are guns in the wing roots?

Difficult to look at but is it not an early SB2C Helldiver?

If a SBD-5 - I doubt Museums or Taras would be interested - there 10 to the dozen of SBD-5's in Lake Michigan.

regards

Mark

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 6:59 am

G'day Sean,
Thanks for sharing the photos - very good ones, too.
shepsair wrote:Are you sure it is an SBD-5?

Good call. It's definitely not a Douglas SBD Dauntless, going by the cut of the elevator inner edge in the photos - looks like that of a Curtiss SB2 Helldiver to me.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File: ... e_view.jpg

Lots of other little clues, like the rounding of the windscreen and apparent size of the inter-cockpit canopy area that look a bit like the SBD but fit the SB2C better.

There are (according to the Warbird Directory) about ten SB2C identities extant, and as we know, only one airworthy, so pretty rare - rarer than the SBD, anyway.

Neat to hear about either way!

Regards,

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 7:48 am

hang the expense wrote:Depends on how deep she is resting and how far you can deep six the navy lawyers.Sharks wont eat them out of professional courtesy.



That's good Tom, that's a good one! :Hangman:

Re: SBD or SB2C Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:19 am

That is a SB2C no questions about it :wink:

Re: SBD or SB2C Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:24 am

i'm no salvage expert........ but i'd say it's toast. let the divers enjoy it!!

Re: SBD or SB2C Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:35 am

Lets hope the Helldiver in Otay Reservior is in better condition.

Also heard of one in Cuba?

Anybody else heard the same rumour?

regards

Mark

Re: SBD or SB2C Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 12:08 pm

There is no question, it is an SB2C-1C. Can't be any other AC or variant
There were 27 recorded losses of SB2C-1C's in and around Hawaii. If I had more info where exactly it is I could probably get it down to a few Buno's as I have a list of ALL known(recorded) Helldiver wrecks and losses.

Re: SBD (?) Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 6:16 pm

scubasean wrote:The plane is in pretty good shape and would survive being taken to the surface... I really hope they don't raise the plane though... It's going to be a great dive site here on Maui... It's fairly shallow so it's a really easy dive..

Here are my photos from the dive (first shots after 55-6 years)

http://www.scubapost.net/scubablogs/scu ... s-dougless

If you have any questions, feel free to ask... I hope to dive it again in the next few weeks!

Sean

Very cool to see the photos of this plane. Thanks

Re: SBD or SB2C Found off Maui...

Tue Jan 19, 2010 6:25 pm

tom d. friedman wrote:i'm no salvage expert........ but i'd say it's toast. let the divers enjoy it!!

I have to agree. Leave it in Davey Jones' locker.
Last edited by Pat Carry on Tue Jan 19, 2010 7:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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