recovering the XB-15

[Nathan]

Has there been any plans or attempts at recovering the XB-15?

[marine air]

It was scrapped in the Panama Canal Zone. There were once several U.S. military bases. It is probably at the bottom of a trash dump beneath decades of landfill. A starting point would be to find out what base it last was assigned to and the whereabouts of their dump.

[rcaf_100]

It was scrapped in the Panama Canal Zone. There were once several U.S. military bases. It is probably at the bottom of a trash dump beneath decades of landfill. A starting point would be to find out what base it last was assigned to and the whereabouts of their dump.

In June 1945, it was ordered to be scrapped at Albrook Field in Panama, its engines and internal parts removed along with its vertical stabilizer and rudder. The remaining airframe was deposited at Diablo dump, a swampy landfill southwest of the runway, where it slowly sank from sight. Squatters built shacks on stilts in the swamp, covering the remains. The former dump is now an industrial area, with "Grandpappy" underneath.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_XB-15

[martin_sam_2000]

It was scrapped in the Panama Canal Zone. There were once several U.S. military bases. It is probably at the bottom of a trash dump beneath decades of landfill. A starting point would be to find out what base it last was assigned to and the whereabouts of their dump.

In June 1945, it was ordered to be scrapped at Albrook Field in Panama, its engines and internal parts removed along with its vertical stabilizer and rudder. The remaining airframe was deposited at Diablo dump, a swampy landfill southwest of the runway, where it slowly sank from sight. Squatters built shacks on stilts in the swamp, covering the remains. The former dump is now an industrial area, with "Grandpappy" underneath.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_XB-15

It would make for an interesting search mission, but like the burma spitfires, how much of that is distorted memory. Was it deposited whole and sank, or was it chopped up into smaller, truck sized peices and the dumped...and being a dump, and being mostly aluminium(engines and fittings removed) it would be difficult to find among alot of other junk.

Sean

[Mark Sampson]

Sad to say, it's as gone as its descendant, the Boeing 314. Although somebody has a plan to find and restore one of the two of those destroyed at sea after the war.

[gemmer]

Has there been any plans or attempts at recovering the XB-15?

I'd like to see a recovery attempt of the B-17D that sank after ditching near Zamboanga on Dec 10, 1941.

[Jim MacDonald]

TBD. Any TBD, anywhere!!

Mac

[menards]

It was scrapped in the Panama Canal Zone. There were once several U.S. military bases. It is probably at the bottom of a trash dump beneath decades of landfill. A starting point would be to find out what base it last was assigned to and the whereabouts of their dump.

In June 1945, it was ordered to be scrapped at Albrook Field in Panama, its engines and internal parts removed along with its vertical stabilizer and rudder. The remaining airframe was deposited at Diablo dump, a swampy landfill southwest of the runway, where it slowly sank from sight. Squatters built shacks on stilts in the swamp, covering the remains. The former dump is now an industrial area, with "Grandpappy" underneath.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_XB-15

It would make for an interesting search mission, but like the burma spitfires, how much of that is distorted memory. Was it deposited whole and sank, or was it chopped up into smaller, truck sized peices and the dumped...and being a dump, and being mostly aluminium(engines and fittings removed) it would be difficult to find among alot of other junk.

Sean

This would be near impossible.

https://goo.gl/maps/Yw1KpPUFjCS2

this whole shipping area would need to be dug up. Now, if it was possible. there are probably some neat wrecks in addition to the B-15 buried under there.

[Warbird Kid]

Has there been any plans or attempts at recovering the XB-15?

I'd like to see a recovery attempt of the B-17D that sank after ditching near Zamboanga on Dec 10, 1941.

Or a recovery of the VS-44A Exeter off the coast of Montevideo.

[cwmc]

I think you'll find that one in nice shape at the Bradley Air Museum in Windsor Locks.

[Russ Matthews]

I think you'll find that one in nice shape at the Bradley Air Museum in Windsor Locks.

And I think you'll find that the plane in the New England Air Museum collection is actually Excambian, one of two other VS-44s built. Exeter indeed crashed into the River Plate on 15 August 1947.