Lake Michigan Recoveries/where are they now

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 11:35 am

With 3 more recent recoveries from Lake Michigan, maybe someone could bring us uptodate as to where all the recoveries down thru the years have ended up. I know about the SBD at the Air Zoo, the Wildcat in Hawaii, the Wildcat at O'hare and possibly the Wildcat at Pima but how about all the others. I am also aware the NMNA has a few of the recoveries on display. Aren't there quite a few still in storage there in Pensacola?

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

There is an SBD in Palm Springs.

Jerry O'Neill · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 3:44 pm

The first aircraft pulled out in 1979 was a TBF Avenger and that is with Harland Avezzie in Westfield, MA, undergoing restoration to flight.
Jerry

DaveM2 · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:09 pm

Pat Carry wrote:

With 3 more recent recoveries from Lake Michigan, maybe someone could bring us uptodate as to where all the recoveries down thru the years have ended up. I know about the SBD at the Air Zoo, the Wildcat in Hawaii, the Wildcat at O'hare and possibly the Wildcat at Pima but how about all the others. I am also aware the NMNA has a few of the recoveries on display. Aren't there quite a few still in storage there in Pensacola?

Pat

Check issue 69 of CW - it has a full list of the sanctioned Navy recoveries and where they are now, which is included in an article about the recovered aircraft, which takes a closer look at some of the more significant examples with 'then and now' photos.

Dave

Pogmusic · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 5:09 pm

I think the SBD at Midway airport is one of those pulled from the lake. Obviously from the earlier press release, it must be from the IL. side of the lake.

Dan K · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 6:28 pm

Here's a little something to get you started:

http://www.warbirdsdirectory.goodall.co ... ntless.pdf

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 6:41 pm

Thanks for the link Dan. I had no idea that many SBD's have been pulled up.

Steve Pierce · **Posted:** Tue Dec 15, 2009 9:54 pm

We rebuilt the wings on an F4F that the Navy had pulled out in the early 90s when I worked at Ezell's. 2 of the aircraft went to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola and two went to private owners which paid for the salvage operation. It was pretty neat. The official accident report from the Navy was that the pilot didn't lock the throttle on take-off. the un-manned submarine that located the aircraft videoed the cockpit and the throttle was locked. They cleared the pilot some 50 years later. It was a amazing the condition between the fuselage and wings. Fuselage was cleaned and used, wings had major ares that had disappeared.

brucev · **Posted:** Wed Dec 16, 2009 11:20 pm

Jerry O'Neill wrote:

The first aircraft pulled out in 1979 was a TBF Avenger and that is with Harland Avezzie in Westfield, MA, undergoing restoration to flight.
Jerry

anyone have an update on this restoration?

Brad · **Joined:** Thu Apr 29, 2004 10:30 pm **Posts:** 1131

Steve Pierce wrote:

We rebuilt the wings on an F4F that the Navy had pulled out in the early 90s when I worked at Ezell's. 2 of the aircraft went to the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola and two went to private owners which paid for the salvage operation. It was pretty neat. The official accident report from the Navy was that the pilot didn't lock the throttle on take-off. the un-manned submarine that located the aircraft videoed the cockpit and the throttle was locked. They cleared the pilot some 50 years later. It was a amazing the condition between the fuselage and wings. Fuselage was cleaned and used, wings had major ares that had disappeared.

This is the F4F that Rod Lewis owns now. The other F4F that was pulled up and restored is now at the Pearl Harbor museum.

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