A Brewster Buffalo found in the waters off Midway

[Pat Carry]

www.nytimes.com/2013/01/02/us/02fighter ... ef=us&_r=0 Are there any surviving Buffalos around today?

[cooper9411]

All I know about is the one that was recovered about 14 years ago, and the U.S. ended up getting it. Now it is on loan to Finland

Last edited by cooper9411 on Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.

[mike furline]

Real & replica, http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.s ... 2878002j16

[cooper9411]

Thanks for the link Mike. That is the one I was talking about.

[Chris Brame]

Sounds like it could be this one:

01527 (VMF-221) force landed during landing approach to Eastern Island,
Midway and ditched in lagoon Feb 12, 1942. Damaged beyond repair

Edit: Knew there was an old thread about this one someplace:

viewtopic.php?t=4144

[Adam Kline]

Not defending the Buffalo in the Pacific theater, but I always liked their look. As someone else pointed out the Pacific theater was not really suited to their strengths. Wish the article was a little more positive.

[tom d. friedman]

mother nature's camouflage!! that buffalo is hardly discernable to the eye with the ocean floor. since it's not a war grave, & it's easy to reach, i would think somebody or some historical entity with the salvage expertise & equipment would get the ball rolling to raise it. it's so rare that it merits recovery regardless of it's condition. point blank & blunt!!! spare me on the tighar jokes please!!

[marine air]

To me, it looks too far gone. How would you suggest displaying it once landed?
Many years ago, I went to a warbird function at Chino an at Yanks, they had three hulks sitting in outside storage. The P-39 was easy to guess. The Vought Kingfisher was challenging because of the one piece of float. Then there was a rotten hulk, that no one in our group of twenty could figure out. It turned out to be a Hellcat from the Pacific. (barnacled beyond recognition)
Those lake Michigan birds look sweet in comparison!

[cooper9411]

Display it the way it was found! In an "underwater" diorama.

[tom d. friedman]

my thoughts exactly!! a tank diorama. the plane is small enough, so a viewing tank wouldn't take up alot of space in a museum.

[marine air]

Would you put it in a salt water tank as found?

[tom d. friedman]

you would more than likely have to when you consider electrolysis / alkalinity on the aircraft aluminum with fresh water as opposed to salt after all these years. however, i could be wrong (what revelation!! ha) my opinion is only based on what i know about marine paint being in the marine business for 27 years. i'm sure they could find a preservative that would slow down the reaction or possibly even stop it.

[cooper9411]

Something submerged in saltwater would have to be completely washed down with freshwater and then submerged once again in fresh water (S.S. Hunley for example) for an extended length of time.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Isn't this a crash site reasonably well-known to divers, and that the only person who has "discovered" it is the journalist who wrote the recent article?

[marine air]

Well, if someone were to recover it and bring it back, they'd be mentioned and mes receive phone calls for the rest of their life. Celebrity for life, expecially since it is the remains of a U.S. Marine combat vet airframe.
Walter Soplata made a name for himself bringing home unwanted, valueless aircraft that were "too far gone."