Warbird Information Exchange

Is there any list of aircraft the Navy plans to recover next? I have a feeling a TBD will be recovered in the near future.

-Nate

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i like your vibes!!

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

My hope is for them to recover 100 historically significant aircraft for their 100 anniversary of Naval Aviation. Here's the partial list;
1) The Helldiver in the freshwater reservoir outside of San Diego
2) The PBM Mariner in a lake in Washington State that they tore apart on a previous recovery attempt. It's still worth going after and there aren't any others .
3 and 4) The TBD Devastor off the coast of Florida and the one in the Pacific. Maybe somehow they can put something together for the Naval Museum.
4) The Sparrowhawk off the coast of San Diego
5) All of the Corsairs in Lake Michigan
6) The two -1 Corsairs in Maine, with any skeletal remains and personal items repatriated to Brittain
7) All of the Dauntlesses in Lake Michigan
the remaining Wildcats in Lake Michigan
9) All of the TBF Avengers in Lake Michigan that have combat history
10) The Privateer in the lake in Washington state.
There have to be other candidates like Buffaloes, a Coronado, and some Kingfishers and Seagulls underwater.
What else?

Marine Air

Like your list - I wish.

TBD I agree and worthy of recovery to fill the missing gap.
Helldiver - lets hope next year.
3 other SBD-2's in Lake Michigan - get these.
The Corsair in Lake Michigna - believe it is the only one. Nexy year hopefully as well.
The two Corsairs in Maine - yes and to repatriate/bury the pilots.

List of possible numbers in Lake Michigan.
Through ship and aircraft records, it has been estimated 140 aircraft were lost consisting of 41 TBM/TBF Avengers, 38 SBD Dauntless, 37 FM/F4F Wildcats, 17 SNJ Texans, four F6F Hellcats, two SB2U Vindicators, and one F4U Corsair.
Beleive some were recovered during WWII and afterwards including the other three Hellcats.

Wildcats/later SBD's, TBF's and SNJ's if surplus to Navy/Museum requirements put them on the open market for salvage/restoration with proceeds going to the Navy/Museum.

Ships might belong at the bottom of a lake but aircraft are not.

What about this one! Oddity.
Howard NH-1 Nightingale
29538 ditched in Lake Washington, WA on ferry flight Dec 11, 1943

regards

Mark

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'Coups De Foudre'
(511FS, 405FG watering hole), St Dizier, France 1944/45

Would recoveries in salt water be possible after all these years? When the planes reach the surface wouldn't they just fall apart?

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

There's a Privateer in a lake? How bad is it?

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Sure, Charles Lindbergh flew the plane... but Tom Rutledge built the engine!

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I've forgotten almost all the details, but a sonar image of it showed it was pretty much intact. I think it's in the Pacific Northwest?

Scott

EDIT: Chad take a gander at this one--I think it's the one I remembered:
http://www.boydski.com/diving/dives/PB4Y-wreck.htm