Article on Underwater Aircraft Graveyards

aerovin · **Posted:** Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:08 am

Interesting photos from around the world includes a B-17, F4U, F-4, DC-3, Japanese Betty, and a few others.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/the-eerie-and-awesome-world-of-underwater-plane-graveyards/story-e6frfqd9-1226809439476

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Fri Jan 24, 2014 11:16 am

I still can't believe those wrecks wouldn't be worth salvaging.

davidwomacks · **Joined:** Sat Aug 04, 2012 2:34 pm **Posts:** 195

That B-17 is amazing to bad shes been eatin up by the saltwater.

Flat 12x2 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 6:48 am

I dont think No. 4 'DC3, Bahamas' is a DC-3, tail planes and cockpit side window are not right, more like a Convair ?

Digger · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 8:43 am

Some very nice shots, some of these wrecks appear to have been place then specifically for the dive community, Great idea and I support it.

However some Divers have confused me with their apparent duplicity towards 'genuine WW2'. On a Pacific Island visit a number of years ago, a local

group of villagers where quickly clearing nearby jungle to collect the remains of a TBM that had sat in its location and forgotten about since the war, that was until

a Dive shop opened near by and thought it a great idea to place all this stuff on the bottom of the nearby lagoon to 'introduce' divers to the wrecks that exist in

that area. When I offered to buy the aircraft remains from the dive operator I was met with a very clear "No" followed swiftly with a 'keep your nose out of it'

I was later to discover this was not only land based wreck that was being pushed into the sea and used in their promotional material a genuine crashed warbird that

had ditched into the water. My concerns are tow fold. The obviously misleading of the tourist divers as to what they are paying good money for and not being the

real thing and the surprising use of land based wrecks, still retaining many valuable parts and patterns being dumped into the ocean, rendering then useless/

I've heard the Thai government did something similar with some old out of time DC3's and curious to ear if others had see or heard of similar instances.

cheers

davidwomacks · **Joined:** Sat Aug 04, 2012 2:34 pm **Posts:** 195

Since the A holes at the dive shop stole the TBM from the Navy I would get them invovled. Headline navy seal team attacks aircraft thief hide out on pacific island haha....... I wish. But seriosly the navy claims ownership of all wrecks don't they? I would contact them and stick it to that dive shop. Or you could just steal it back.

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:00 pm

Warbird Kid wrote:

I still can't believe those wrecks wouldn't be worth salvaging.

Wouldn't these planes literally fall apart if they were brought up now after so many years of sitting in salt water?

jdvoss · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 12:06 pm

On the north end of the Kwajalein Atoll was the site of a large USN /USMC air base named Roi-Namur. At the end of hostilities many aircraft were dumped in the lagoon just south of the island in relatively shallow water. There are a number of R5C's lying side by side, several piles of carrier based aircraft and 100% of VMB-613's PBJ's!
http://www.vmb613.com/disposal.htm

jdvoss · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 2:12 pm

Here is another link of dumped aircraft off of Roi-Namur. According to the article there are an estimated 130+ aircraft there.

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/article ... hp?aid=582

Cherrybomber13 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 25, 2014 4:53 pm

jdvoss wrote:

On the north end of the Kwajalein Atoll was the site of a large USN /USMC air base named Roi-Namur. At the end of hostilities many aircraft were dumped in the lagoon just south of the island in relatively shallow water. There are a number of R5C's lying side by side, several piles of carrier based aircraft and 100% of VMB-613's PBJ's!
http://www.vmb613.com/disposal.htm

What an amazing website. The information on this site was phenomenal. Thanks for posting it.

Chappie · **Joined:** Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:40 am **Posts:** 987

Warbird Kid wrote:

I still can't believe those wrecks wouldn't be worth salvaging.

They are all worth saving. I'd love to see that Milne Bay P-38 salvaged.

Chappie

AURktman · **Posted:** Sun Jan 26, 2014 3:55 pm

I can't imagine that with the jigs and CNC machining available today that the PBJ's, P-38's, and F-4U's aren't worth saving even if they do have a ton of corrosion.

Hemiman · **Posted:** Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:49 pm

Pat Carry wrote:

Warbird Kid wrote:

I still can't believe those wrecks wouldn't be worth salvaging.

Wouldn't these planes literally fall apart if they were brought up now after so many years of sitting in salt water?

Pat, unless they undergo a very, very extensive AND expensive procedure, you are correct. Any a/c soaking in saltwater for 70 years or even 1 year is more than likely junk... Static display, yes.. flying?? no way in h e l l!
Freshwater is a different animal, however, again, many of the components will be junk...
I love a/c as much as any on this Board, and have devoted darn near 30 years to working on and rebuilding them. I believe I do have a good idea on what it takes to keep them flying, and I'm also smart enough to know what can and cannot be saved..
We are fortunate enough that in the past 20+ years CNC machine work, along with other tooling advancement, has saved many a bird from the scrap heap.
As far as using parts for templets, I would bet the house that most efforts to break down the a/c would result in a total loss...

Salt water corrosion is an absolute bitch!

airnutz · **Posted:** Sun Jan 26, 2014 4:50 pm

AURktman wrote:

I can't imagine that with the jigs and CNC machining available today that the PBJ's, P-38's, and F-4U's aren't worth saving even if they do have a ton of corrosion.

As Mr. Ezell said, "bring me a data plate and $$$$ and I'll give you an airplane."

AURktman · **Posted:** Sun Jan 26, 2014 6:13 pm

airnutz wrote:

AURktman wrote:

I can't imagine that with the jigs and CNC machining available today that the PBJ's, P-38's, and F-4U's aren't worth saving even if they do have a ton of corrosion.

As Mr. Ezell said, "bring me a data plate and $$$$ and I'll give you an airplane."

Eggszactly! Now, I had heard years ago that building the main spar for the F4U was a real problem. Any advancements on that that anyone knows of?

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