NAS Pax River - Arado 234 / Bell XFL-1 w/ new pics

sandiego89 · **Joined:** Mon May 21, 2012 12:28 pm **Posts:** 1201

Quest Master wrote:

sandiego89 wrote:

Fantastic work Van! I have been to that exact before a few years ago. I managed to get this photo with a serial number of what I believe is the same debris.
I really enjoyed my time down on the rocks- wish I had an excavator.

Was really hoping for an Arado!
Shows the NAA stamp, with NAA 151, and the part number 144 1 6096 1 5. The 1's are horizontal.

Cool! Thanks!
Actually, if you look close at the part number in your photo it say 142-16096-5 not 144.

Thanks Van, agree it does start with 142, the 2 was not pressed as clearly as the other numbers. There may be another 1 in the middle of the part number where the scratch is. I may have a few more numbers if I go throught my photos.

My thought was the section in the rocks was from a wing trailing edge and aeileron or flap? Can your discern any location from the numbers?

I still think the Arado/XFL-1 remains are out there, but under tons and tons and concrete chunks.

-Dave

billtate · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:37 pm

I 1975 I came across this item that was in the NAS Pax River dump. I was wondering if any of you all might know what it is?

Thanks in advance.

SaxMan · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:02 pm

I'll throw one more tidbit into the mix. Submerged off NAS Pax River is a low winged monoplane, missing its motor and canopy. Wingspan is 36 feet. We've always thought it was an F8F, but all this discussion now has me wondering if it could it be the second XSN2J-1 prototype? It is listed as a Historical Archaeological Site with the Maryland Historic Trust, one of three aircraft sites designated as such in the Bay, and one of only four in the entire state (the Capital Airline DC-3 crash site in Clarksburg being the fourth, but only one on dry land currently).

I'll see if I can go dig up the side-scan sonar images, but from what I recall, it seems to match the XSN2J-1's profile more so than an F8F.

shrike · **Posted:** Tue Oct 13, 2015 8:05 pm

Dunno, but it looks to be a German something

Quest Master · **Joined:** Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:42 pm **Posts:** 387

billtate wrote:

I 1975 I came across this item that was in the NAS Pax River dump. I was wondering if any of you all might know what it is?

Thanks in advance.

That is 100% pre-May 1945 German manufacture. The bnm is the three letter code for the German company that manufactured that part. Three letter codes were developed to identify a manufacturer of a part, but not directly identify them like an acronym. The codes were used on everything from weapons to boxes and containers to equipment.

Quest Master · **Joined:** Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:42 pm **Posts:** 387

sandiego89 wrote:

Quest Master wrote:

sandiego89 wrote:

Fantastic work Van! I have been to that exact before a few years ago. I managed to get this photo with a serial number of what I believe is the same debris.
I really enjoyed my time down on the rocks- wish I had an excavator.

Was really hoping for an Arado!
Shows the NAA stamp, with NAA 151, and the part number 144 1 6096 1 5. The 1's are horizontal.

Cool! Thanks!
Actually, if you look close at the part number in your photo it say not 144.

Thanks Van, agree it does start with 142, the 2 was not pressed as clearly as the other numbers. There may be another 1 in the middle of the part number where the scratch is. I may have a few more numbers if I go throught my photos.

My thought was the section in the rocks was from a wing trailing edge and aeileron or flap? Can your discern any location from the numbers?

I still think the Arado/XFL-1 remains are out there, but under tons and tons and concrete chunks.

-Dave

Dave,
I don't believe the "1" in the middle is a "1". I believe that to be a "-".
The part numbers will show exactly what section of the aircraft it is IF you have the Parts and Erection Manual for the XSN2J-1, or the original blue prints from North American Aviation. It would be nice if low numbered parts were at the front of the aircraft and higher numbered parts were at the rear...but that is not the case. Occasionally, like the B-24 Liberator, some aircraft parts had additional letters denoting where the parts were used (as shown in my first post of this thread) like a "W" for Wing, but that is not always the case for all of the aircraft manufacturers.

Quest Master · **Joined:** Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:42 pm **Posts:** 387

SaxMan wrote:

I'll throw one more tidbit into the mix. Submerged off NAS Pax River is a low winged monoplane, missing its motor and canopy. Wingspan is 36 feet. We've always thought it was an F8F, but all this discussion now has me wondering if it could it be the second XSN2J-1 prototype? It is listed as a Historical Archaeological Site with the Maryland Historic Trust, one of three aircraft sites designated as such in the Bay, and one of only four in the entire state (the Capital Airline DC-3 crash site in Clarksburg being the fourth, but only one on dry land currently).

I'll see if I can go dig up the side-scan sonar images, but from what I recall, it seems to match the XSN2J-1's profile more so than an F8F.

Cool.

It is possible that the other aircraft is the other XSN2J-1, but I wanted to be clear with this thread, and what I have read on many other threads on various websites, that the small section of wreckage that has been previously noted sticking out of the concrete had been incorrectly identified, listed on the Historical Archaeological Site with the Maryland Historic Trust. It is not the Bell XFL-1 "Airabonita" or the Arado 234.

Those aircraft, as well as any others or pieces of them, may be present under tons of concrete protecting the shore from erosion, but again, based on my own findings and identification of the wreckage at the site, it is not the the Bell XFL-1 "Airabonita" or the Arado 234, but rather I believe it to be one of two XSN2J-1's produced and tested at NAS Pax River just after WWII.

SaxMan · **Posted:** Wed Oct 14, 2015 7:42 pm

I don't know if you ever find yourself up in Northern Maryland, but we're working on getting permission from a land owner to excavate a Douglas DB-7 site. It was an RAF export on a test flight with an American pilot when the controls locked. Crew bailed out and survived with minor injuries, plane when down in a field in Taneytown. If you want to join the party once they give us permission, let me know.

Forgotten Field · **Posted:** Wed Oct 14, 2015 9:35 pm

Great detective work and presentation.

I have seen photos of the AR-234 taken in the 1980's. They were shown to me by the person who took the photos. It is there at PAX. Unfortunately, it is under much rubble and its actual present location might have changed from the photographs due to bulkhead maintenance on the shoreline. Very sad it got lost, but even in the 1980's, the magnesium on the airframe was turning swiss cheese.

When I was down at PAX this summer for work, I picked up the little brown book published about the NAS at the museum. It is chock full of photos of the enemy equipment and unique USN and USAAF equipment tested there from WWII on. Well worth the $24 or so it sold for.

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7827

There's a few photos around.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/keleivis/ ... x8-cmnRXu/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/keleivis/ ... 2803141775

Scott Rose · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2015 9:23 am

This is a very cool thread and illustrates what WIX is all about. Thanks Van for starting it!

billtate · **Posted:** Thu Oct 15, 2015 12:10 pm

Thank you Quest Master for the information. Could "bnm" be the code for the engine manufacturer?

Mark Allen M · **Joined:** Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:48 pm **Posts:** 7827

I thought I read somewhere that these guys were at PAX for a while as well? ...

Source: SDASM archives.

Quest Master · **Joined:** Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:42 pm **Posts:** 387

SaxMan wrote:

I don't know if you ever find yourself up in Northern Maryland, but we're working on getting permission from a land owner to excavate a Douglas DB-7 site. It was an RAF export on a test flight with an American pilot when the controls locked. Crew bailed out and survived with minor injuries, plane when down in a field in Taneytown. If you want to join the party once they give us permission, let me know.

I'd love to. Message me when you would like me to tag along!

Quest Master · **Joined:** Fri Oct 06, 2006 2:42 pm **Posts:** 387

Forgotten Field wrote:

Great detective work and presentation.

Thanks Jon!
BTW, side note....betcha won't recognize this 1942 Ford GPW:

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NAS Pax River - Arado 234 / Bell XFL-1 w/ new pics

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