Warbird Information Exchange

I read a report by Richard Leahy years ago on a Finschaffen dump recovery effort by what I think was 75 Group of Melbourne. I remember at least one photo showing a large area of excavated wreckage. Here's the report later incorporated into an interview:

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/people/visitors/leahy/

"Speak about recent recovery happenings in Morobe Province
I have photographs taken by myself in 2000 of an accumulation of aircraft wreckage that covered about three acres, was around ten feet high and ended up filling I think seven twenty foot sea containers. The lot I am led to understand went to the smelter. The Museum in Moresby knew about the existence and location of this dump long before it was exported. They chose to do nothing. Most of the material came from Finschaffen. It was excavated and stored by a Melbourne group who intended to export it later. Locals at Finschafen stole as much as they could and sold it to a Lae based scrap dealer. The Melbourne group were authorised to take what they wanted by both the Moresby Museum and the Land Owners at Finschafen I do know that the government (through the museum) and the local land owners end up with a hell of a lot more money by selling the sites to restorers and collecters than they get by allowing scrappers to take it."

Firstly, did anyone save a copy of this photo way back then?...would be good to see it again.

Also, does anyone know if all this really did end up in the smelter? If so then it's an incredibly sad waste. Just think how many restorations could have been kicked off by such a haul. Doesn't take too much original material to form the nucleus of a potential flyer these days.

I find it hard to believe that such a large export job could have gone unnoticed by the folk who know the true worth of this material. I was hoping it was just a cover story and the stuff was spirited away to safety but it's been 10 years now so I guess we would have heard something by now. Does anyone have any contacts who could validate the smelting story please? Seems like the Melbourne group didn't publish anything regarding their efforts back in 2000. Would have been incredible to see footage of the dig.

I know that 75 Group have recovered a number of P-47 and P-38 hulks from Finschaffen but I can't see these taking up a 3 acre site to the height of ten feet!

Stories like these make my heart bleed.

Thanks

I think these recoveries got caught up in the PNG crackdown on aircraft recoveries after the Swamp Ghost recovery.

I do recall seeing reports by Setter of WW2 scrap metal arriving in Brisbane which I suspect were related to this site, and obviously its sad that viable restorable airframes or parts are still being sent to scrap, but not available to collectors/museums for recovery.

It is particularly unfortunate there isnt more efforts to recover the remaining Japanese airframes, and at least that did occur in the Solomons.

The recoveries by the 75 Squadron group, which apparantly included P-38 and P-47 parts are documented in the Warbirds Directory and on specialist websites such as

http://www.adastron.com/lockheed/lightning/p-38-rebuilds.htm

The media covered the departure of the P-38's from Australia at the time.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

_________________
20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"

Thanks for the info Mark. I wonder how the scrap managed to pass through Melbourne without 75 squadron or other interested parties getting wind of it and making an offer that exceeded the scrap value? Just hope there are a few more buried scrap piles out there. I'd have loved to see some footage of the biggest pits being excavated for scrap in the 50s. Bet there were some incredible finds in that lot.

Doesn't look like Setter has been around for a few years. Shame Col Rohr isn't around too, he was a great source of information.

Cheers

Setter still posts over on the Australian "Warbirdz" forum, the Col is around and watches this forum, and posts on the KP forum occasionally.

http://www.warbirdz.net/forum/index.php

If you post a question there I am sure he will detail his earlier advice of the arrival of scrap, unfortunately the archival posts on that forum have long since been lost.

I understood the scrap was brought into Australia via a northern ie Queensland port, and I understand by the time the locals had cut it up to move it by hand, and the scrapper had "packed" it for economical delivery to Australia it wasnt fit much other than scrap.

I suspect there may be more buried dumps in the Pacific that might yield parts, the age old problem still remains the local political mood and attitude, and the problems with "ownership" and then still theft and scrapping before its recovered as evidenced by this situation?, and unfortunately above ground wrecks are being scrapped insitu while recovery and preservation is refused.

Regards

Mark Pilkington

_________________
20th Century - The Age of Manned Flight
"from Wrights to Armstrong in 66 years -WOW!"