Warbird Information Exchange

Does anyone here know of any substantial USN aircraft wrecks located on private property within the bounds of the Unites States? Specifically aircraft that never made it onto the civil register?

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Rob Mears
'Surviving Corsairs' Historian
robcmears@yahoo.com
http://www.robmears.com

YES.




Pirate Lex
http://www.BrewsterCorsair.com

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An ego is no match for gravity.

Yeah, I know of a Corsair that is sitting in a very small lake on a farm in Northern Florida. I've personally dove this wreck as you can actually stand on it and have your head above the water. I spent a lot of time with a mask and fins looking this bird over. The outside wing panels were ripped off (I think somewhere in the lake) and it's upside down. The owner was nearby where I grew up, when I still lived in the area. He swore me to secrecy about the location because he was sure the Navy would come and "steal" the plane out from under him, which I confirmed at the time was a realistic concern on his part. The only reason he told me about it was that I was dating his daughter (and being the only guy up to then that her Dad didn't mind) at the time and knew a lot about history, which he liked talking about. That made it all the more heartbreaking when she dumped me later on.
I was never able to find any markings during my swims in the lake, but I'm pretty sure it crashed there after the war due to the age everyone was at the time of the crash. It would have been probably around 1950 or 1951 if the family recalls it correctly. I couldn't make out any insignia either, as the paint was very badly worn. The owner was a kid when he saw it crash and his Grandfather got the pilot out of the lake. They took the pilot to the nearest airport in their car, and nobody ever came to look for the plane. He never talked to the pilot because he was very shy as a kid, he said, but the pilot appeared to be Navy as he was wearing a tan flight suit and a Mae West. He was specific that the pilot was NOT wearing a flight helmet and had a headset that he had taken with him from the crash.
I never got any photos as I didn't have a camera to get good underwater photographs. The next time I get back to Florida to visits my folks, I plan on going back with good camera gear to document this plane as well as a P-47 I know of in another lake nearby.

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

That Corsair story is really exciting!

keep us all posted about any future visits to that lake. I'm not a Corsair crazy person, but I know there are tons on WIX... and regardless, I'm always excited to hear about WWII aircraft being discovered.

Cheers,

David

I have no plans to get back there through next year, will probably go back for my parent's 50th anniversary in 2010.
As for the nineteen folks who PM'd me looking for details because they want to buy or salvage the bird, I'm not responding to them as the owner made it clear to me several times that he has no interest in letting anyone have "his bird" regardless of the price. The man is pretty well off financially and has all he needs, so money won't impress him anyway...

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

It doesn't matter where they are, the Navy consideres them theirs. Now, their position is often fraught with contradiction when it is convinient - but you will need to be very careful about regs etc procedure, etc and the bottom line is that you won't likely gain title without a costly legal battle:

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq28-1.htm

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Losing faith in humanity one individual at a time

Which is exactly why the owner of the property threatened me with death (or even worse, refusal to ever come back and look at the plane) if I ever told anyone where that Corsair was. He knows the score with teh Navy...

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Life member, 91st BG Memorial Association
Owner, 1944 Willys MB #366014
Former REMF (US Army, O3)

boy the navy sure makes me mad when it comes to recovery...

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Taylor Stevenson