Warbird Information Exchange

Just off the Pyramid Rock beach in only 10 feet of water off MCBH Kaneohe is a complete WWII P-40K wreck that is just waiting to be picked up. The wreck is believed to have crashed there 8 May 1943 with the pilot escaped unharmed, However the positive ID of this wreck will remain unknown for now.

Here is some video of the P40 off Kaneohe Marine Base. The wreck is all there, from the tip of the tail to the tip of the prop blade, but it is pretty buried.

http://vimeo.com/85901774
http://vimeo.com/85901774

Although it has been identified as a hazard (it is in a surf zone), nothing seems to have been done about it. The plane is in an odd situation. It is an Air Force aircraft near a Marine Corps base that was a Navy base. The artifact is most likely not wanted by the Marine Corps or Navy and it does not have a lot of history for the Air Force.

Maybe the Pacific Air Museum at Ford Island would be interested, but they do not have the resources to salvage and conserve the wreck. Another alternative would be to get the US Navy involved to salvage the wreck, but then the problem is what to do with it?

Once the plane is brought out of the ocean salt water it would need to be placed in a tank of fresh water and slowly let the salts come out of it. A lengthy, costly and time consuming process. If this is not done then the plane would quickly corrode away.

Another option is to somehow move it to another location where sport divers could enjoy it.

I would love to see it recovered and put on display somewhere in Hawaii.

Anyone want it?

Not as bad as some others that I have seen. Any plane that has been in salty shallow water for a long period of time is a disaster, even if it is buried. Although, it will probably never fly again, it would be good to see it displayed back on land some day.

-Thomas Reilly

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Warb ... 3861560352
http://warbirdwatcher.blog.com/

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-Thomas Reilly

The Warbird Watcher
http://warbirdwatcher.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Warb ... 3861560352

I saw a picture of this bird back in 91 and it didn't look that bad.The rot has really started to take its toll on that bird.I don't think it would have been any good back in 91 either.It would never survive the lift intact.

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Hang The Expense

As Yoda once said "never underestimate the power of the force" If it got an X wing out of a swamp it can get a P-40 out of the surf.

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Better is the enemy of Good.

Or at least the data plate ...

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Andrew King
Air Museum Director with no Museum to Direct
Open to Suggestions

Any one want to go to Hawaii? 10 feet of water! I'll dive down on it and unbury it. I'm sure there would be some salvageable parts/pieces for at least a static display.

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A&P/I.A., A.A.S./Aviation Maintenance technology
Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

It can be recovered and if the wreck is intact, it can be raised and taken to the nearby beach.

Chances are good that if it has been under so much sand for most of its underwater life, then there will be no or little oxygen.

If this is the case its a very worthwhile recovery and can be done cheaply. I'd love a visit to HI and would volunteer my time

to get this bird out of the water and cleaned up, Worst case scenario is you end up with an ID wreckage with many stainless steel, copper and other

non corrosive metals to base a rebuild on.

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Peter
ESAD (E-Science and Digitalisation)

Listen to Hang the Expense. He's smart. He knows things.

Lets go haha

you got two choices

a) stay sitting in your arm chair and talk about it (like many others) or

b) have a go, if you fail at least you gave it a shot, if you succeed, you ain't no penguin anymore.

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Peter
ESAD (E-Science and Digitalisation)

Lets not forget the hell that will rain down from above with regards to no1.guns and ammo aboard,2 oil in engine,hydraulic fluid etc etc.Sure, its probably all gone but the environazis would go apescat over this.

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Hang The Expense

Lets not forget the hell that will rain down from above with regards to no1.guns and ammo aboard,2 oil in engine,hydraulic fluid etc etc.Sure, its probably all gone but the environazis would go apescat over this.

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Hang The Expense

The ATF could/would render the guns inoperable ( like the saltwater hasn't done that already!) Hang the expense is correct about both points. One of the conditions of a recovery would be the use of socks around the area for any fluid leakage, and dont ever get caught not using them!

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A&P/I.A., A.A.S./Aviation Maintenance technology
Warbird salvage/recovery
One day I'll get that P-40!

The Warbird Registry needs a new classification of "U" for unrecovered, underwater, unrestorable, undesirable, etc. This would cover the Greenland P-38s and B-17s , this P-40, the Duck in Greenland, the P-38 on the beach in England, the Kee BIrds remains, etc. There are a lot of known whereabouts, but circumstances prevent these aircraft being recovered. These topics keep being brought up relentlessly on WIX and yes they do exist.

OK, I agree, not as straight forward as may have been implied, my point is, get to work on obtaining permits, I'll throw in a few bucks to get the 'Floaties' for the oil

I'll volunteer my time on the diving, prefer hooker long line with T piece. Rubber mats, barriers etc whatever is necessary to keep the nah sayers happy lets get.

You know its there, 10 or 20 feet of water is nothing, drop me a PM if you are serious.

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Peter
ESAD (E-Science and Digitalisation)