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Has any planes ever been recovered from Gatun Lake, Panama

Tue Sep 30, 2014 9:00 pm

440127 B-25G 42-64885 CZ Gatun Lake
421105 P-39K 42-4439 CZ In water of Gatun Lake, CZ
410314 B-18 36-307 CZ Lake Gatun, CZ
421105 P-39K 42-4439 CZ In water of Gatun Lake, CZ

Has anyone every recovered any planes from the Canal Zone? Technically it's fresh water for now, The canal has just started dumping salt water into Gatun Lake.

Re: Has any planes ever been recovered from Gatun Lake, Pana

Wed Oct 01, 2014 5:11 pm

Speeddemon651 wrote:410314 B-18 36-307 CZ Lake Gatun, CZ

Per Baugher:
(36-)307 (c/n 1695) while assigned to 38H, 6th BH at Albrook Field, CZ w/o in forced landing Mar 14, 1941 at Lake Gatu(n), CZ.

Maybe not in the lake, but at that location? Of course if another intact B-18 were found you'd hear me cheering from wherever you are. Might need to dig up the accident report on that one.

Has anyone tried to find or salvage a wreck from around the Canal Zone?

Re: Has any planes ever been recovered from Gatun Lake, Pana

Wed Oct 01, 2014 6:59 pm

Chris I seem to recall some grumblings a few years ago about a group searching the waters around the Canal Zone for aircraft, specifically P-40's. Does anyone have any other information?

Re: Has any planes ever been recovered from Gatun Lake, Pana

Wed Oct 01, 2014 8:25 pm

I'm curious because there are plenty of planes in Gatun lake and because of the new expansion of the canal it will be feeding salt water into the lake, I figured if anything has been somewhat preserved. The process might be greatly sped up with the introduction of more salt.

Here is a good paper about it:
https://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Avai ... n_Lake.pdf

and here:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas ... in-of-salt
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