P-40 wreck in HI waiting to be picked up

cooper9411 · **Posted:** Mon Apr 28, 2014 9:24 am

If anyone is sincerely interested I'll contribute time and work on obtaining the necessary permits. So let's get the ball rolling and salvage this bird!

cooper9411 · **Posted:** Sat May 03, 2014 11:21 am

Any takers on assisting with this project?

CoastieJohn · **Joined:** Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:37 pm **Posts:** 1380

marine air wrote:

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.

That one has been ongoing for some time. Maybe this will be the year to get to the MIA's???.......

Fouga23 · **Posted:** Sun May 04, 2014 3:08 am

I agree, this one needs to be recovered! Just make sure you have a fresh water tank to put it in once recovered, to get the salt out! it probably won't fly again, but it can make one hell of a nice static museum exhibit!

It's already been done in Italy:
http://cs.finescale.com/fsm/modeling_su ... 83067.aspx
http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p40regis ... piana.html
Beautifully preserved, original paint and all!

_evan · **Posted:** Wed May 28, 2014 7:57 pm

Does anyone have any previous photos of this wreck when it was not so covered up?????

I am on oahu and have base access so I can infact do a survey of this wreck to see if its worth recovering. My main issue is while its only 10 feet under water it is in a tidal zone and nobody knows what exact air frame this plane is, so I plan on spending some time on the wreck doing some digging but that will have to come after I get my Dive cert (in slow progress).

With that being said where are some locations on a P-40 that would have the serial number/data plates that I can use to identify it???

Would anyone else be interested in forming an organization to save the plane in the comiing months. I would like to spend a day on the wreck to see if its even worth recovering, but from the looks of it the corrosion is a lot less then what I have seen on a number of ocean wrecks. PM me if interested. This may be a long process but I would like to survey the wreck in the next 6 months at least.

cooper9411 · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2014 10:12 am

I was told that clearance may be needed from the Marine Corps base, but HDNR was unsure and making contact with the base couldn't hurt.

StudeDave · **Posted:** Thu May 29, 2014 1:55 pm

marine air wrote:

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.

You could add 'PBY on Diego Garcia' to that list...

ALOHADAVE · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2014 10:50 am

MCBH Kaneohe juristriction ends at the water line, however, the site requires access through MCBH Kaneohe. I have the POC at MCBH Kaneohe if you are serious about doing something about the wreck. This wreck requires a plan. How is the wreck going to be recovered, How is it going to be conserved after it is taken out of the water, and lastly where is it going to go to its new home.
This plan cost money, effort and time.
Simply scuba diving down to the wreck and salavaging parts is not going to make it.
The aircraft's ID is known, I have the documents.
The better photos of the wreck are not much better than the video already posted. As stated earlier, the wreck is buried up to the top of the cocpit in about 8 feet of water in the surf zone off Pyrmid Rock Beach. The State of Hawaii "owns" the wreck. Enviromental laws and requirements must be met. However, it has been identified as a hazard. surfers have been injuried by the prop.
My goal is to see it saved by bringing it out of the water, conserving it and putting it on display.
Any takers?

PbyCat-Guy · **Posted:** Fri May 30, 2014 8:53 pm

I am interested in helping out. PM me for further discussion.

_evan · **Posted:** Sat May 31, 2014 1:22 am

definitely in. I can do most of the leg work since I live on the island. Being active duty on a sea going command I will not be around always but whenever I am here if something needs to get done I will see that it does.

realfortin · **Joined:** Tue Aug 18, 2015 1:49 pm **Posts:** 1

Jurisdiction for Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe does not end at the waterline. There is a restricted area for force protection and base security measures that extends about 400 yards out from Pyramid rock. Boats are prohibited from entering this zone. Your only way in would be to request base access, which is not an impossibility. I'm going to go dive the area in the next few weeks and take footage with a GoPro and still camera while in scuba. I just need to wait for conditions to be very calm. The depth of water and shore formations cause it to be a very good surf area but not very good for diving so close in.

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2015 4:12 pm

displaying it in a freshwater tank would be to cool, like a diorama.

old iron · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2015 6:01 pm

Quote:

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.

Actually, the grain size of sand particles is large enough that oxygen can freely circulate. Clay size is small enough to obstruct passage between the grains (beautiful preservation, such as the bog mummies, comes from fine-grained (clay) sediments that prevent oxidation).

Either sand or clay, the matrix needs to be removed before the plane could be lifted and that process of sediment removal can be very destructive in its own right. Being covered in sediment complicates the recovery a great deal.

ALOHADAVE · **Posted:** Tue Aug 18, 2015 10:03 pm

"Jurisdiction for Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe does not end at the waterline. There is a restricted area for force protection and base security measures that extends about 400 yards out from Pyramid rock. Boats are prohibited from entering this zone. Your only way in would be to request base access, which is not an impossibility. I'm going to go dive the area in the next few weeks and take footage with a GoPro and still camera while in scuba. I just need to wait for conditions to be very calm. The depth of water and shore formations cause it to be a very good surf area but not very good for diving so close in."

Its still there! Hasn't changed much. It is more un-buried! 2015 pictures attached
True the MCBH Kaneohe jurisdiction extends 400 yards for boaters. True you must get permission from MCBH Kaneohe to access the site. The underwater resource belongs to the state of Hawaii. Good luck on your survey of the wreck.
PM me if you want more info.
ALOHADAVE

wendovertom · **Posted:** Wed Aug 19, 2015 8:42 am

I have often wondered why this one has not been recovered long ago - this video shows why the recovery will be a bit challenging in the surf zone :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=993c1YfqG8k

Tom P.

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P-40 wreck in HI waiting to be picked up

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