Curtiss SC-1 remains aboard the USS Indianapolis

[TAdan]

Last night PBS broadcast a live program with footage from Paul Allen's exploration vessel of the wreck of the Indianapolis.

They showed some substantial remains of the SC-1 that the was aboard the ship. Due to the depth and temperature the ship and aircraft remains were remarkably preserved. You could even read the writing on the placards and Bu No. on the tail of the plane.

Since the wreck is considered a grave site nothing will be recovered. Are there any SC-1 components remaining on dry land?

https://www.paulallen.com/wreckage-from ... ppine-sea/

[lmritger]

I was grabbing screenshots as fast as I could last night, particularly of the Seahawk bits; that thing really got torn up on the way down. I'll post them here later.

I'm sure there must be some other Seahawks on the ocean floor somewhere, but this is the first time I've seen so much as a trim tab of that extinct aircraft. What an incredibly compelling exhibit that would be at the NMNA... but it would never happen.

Lynn

[old iron]

I am also unsure about how "substantial" this is. The one piece illustrated on the webpage that I assume comes from the SC-1 is labeled as "spare parts" and thus was probably not part of the onboard operational aircraft.

I am not sure the "war grave" standard is absolute. There was consideration by the Navy to raise a Sparrowhawk from the Macon (zeppelin) site, the CSS Hunley and USS Monitor (turret) were raised in recent years. Plenty of aircraft have been raised in Europe that are wrecks in which people died. Raising pieces in a manner that honors the crew is, or at least should be, acceptable after due consideration.

If there are substantial enough remains of an SC-1 near the Indianapolis, these could be raised and display at the NMUSNA museum that would honor not just the Indianapolis but SC-1 pilots in general.

[TAdan]

I am also unsure about how "substantial" this is. The one piece illustrated on the webpage that I assume comes from the SC-1 is labeled as "spare parts" and thus was probably not part of the onboard operational aircraft.

I am not sure the "war grave" standard is absolute. There was consideration by the Navy to raise a Sparrowhawk from the Macon (zeppelin) site, the CSS Hunley and USS Monitor (turret) were raised in recent years. Plenty of aircraft have been raised in Europe that are wrecks in which people died. Raising pieces in a manner that honors the crew is, or at least should be, acceptable after due consideration.

If there are substantial enough remains of an SC-1 near the Indianapolis, these could be raised and display at the NMUSNA museum that would honor not just the Indianapolis but SC-1 pilots in general.

The live broadcast showed several large components, a good sized wing section with star and bar, an entire float attached to the center section of the fuselage, and the vertical stabilizer. I think the extreme depth would make recovery pretty difficult.

[TheBoy]

I'm sure there must be some other Seahawks on the ocean floor somewhere, but this is the first time I've seen so much as a trim tab of that extinct aircraft.

I've mentioned it before and I'm happy to point it out again, we have a set of Curtiss Seahawk/Seagull/Seamew tip floats. I think it might be the biggest known pieces of any of these types above the water. I posted in the discussion looking for Seagull information a few years back. The offer still stands, if there is a good home for them we'll give them away.

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=52862&p=527018&hilit=seamew#p527018

[airnutz]

Our ex-Navy WIX member OP, who's been an "article adrift" here for awhile now, was chasing a rumor of an SC-1 at a farm in Saskatchewan years ago..dunno if he ever found it. I guess if we're talking Canada..would that be a "rumour"?

[sandiego89]

I believe I recall several float plane types were often stored in "knocked down" form aboard cruisers and battleships in WWII. I recall seeing knocked down SC-1's in one of my books with wings entirely removed, etc. I wonder if that is the case here? They were knocked down making storage even easier than from just their folded configuration, and they could be assembled for use.

[JohnB]

Yes, according to a new book that has a section on catapult planes, they did keep spare aircraft disassembled.

[Thomas_Mac]

From the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum Facebook

Did you know there were float planes onboard the #USSIndianapolis when it sunk? Take a video tour of the wreckage and hear amazing stories from the surviving crew here: http://vlcn.fyi/Otqd30f521x

[Steve Nelson]

The SC-1 wreckage shown during the PBS special last night was obviously the remains of a complete airframe. While well preserved, it was fragmentary and showed catastrophic damage. The plane was literally torn apart. Not sure how it happened. Maybe it was ripped off the catapult and smashed against the superstructure when the ship hit the bottom? I found a picture online showing the same SC-1 stowed in one of the ship's hangars, taken in port at Mare Island less than two weeks before she was sunk. I would post it, but I can't seem to log into Flickr on my tablet. The tail of the SC-1 in the wartime photo shows a white #11, identical to the vertical tail found near the Indy wreck.

SN

[Zac Yates]

Wow. It would make for an incredible exhibit at the museum, even in an "as found" diorama if it could be stabilised.

[Steve Nelson]

Ah..got it to work. The SC-1 wreckage found near the ship is the plane in the hangar in this photo, taken just a couple weeks before she was sunk. The wings are folded, but it appears complete and operational. Appaerently one of the hangars was used to transport The Bomb, so one of the planes was probably on the catapult during the trip to Tinian. Was it standard practice to keep a plane ready to launch on the catapult when the ship was underway?

SN

[Clifford Bossie]

The SC-1 wreckage shown during the PBS special last night was obviously the remains of a complete airframe. While well preserved, it was fragmentary and showed catastrophic damage. The plane was literally torn apart. Not sure how it happened. Maybe it was ripped off the catapult and smashed against the superstructure when the ship hit the bottom? I found a picture online showing the same SC-1 stowed in one of the ship's hangars, taken in port at Mare Island less than two weeks before she was sunk. I would post it, but I can't seem to log into Flickr on my tablet. The tail of the SC-1 in the wartime photo shows a white #11, identical to the vertical tail found near the Indy wreck.

SN

I would strongly suspect that initially being pulled down with the ship the force of the water rushing over the airframe simply ripped it apart. The SC-1 was probably lashed down to the catapult which should be standard when not in use and not in the hangar. The airframe probably came apart before it came loose from the catapult. That would help to explain why the airplane wreckage is separate from the main ship wreckage.

[Dan K]

I've mentioned it before and I'm happy to point it out again, we have a set of Curtiss Seahawk/Seagull/Seamew tip floats. I think it might be the biggest known pieces of any of these types above the water...

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=52862&p=527018&hilit=seamew#p527018

As for the biggest piece of Seahawk remaining: It's been reported in the past that Kermit Weeks' A-24 Banshee has a Seahawk prop mounted on it from its wind machine days.

http://www.khs.at/fantasy/k%20Dauntless%202.jpg

[sandiego89]

Appaerently one of the hangars was used to transport The Bomb, so one of the planes was probably on the catapult during the trip to Tinian......

I don't believe the hangar was used for Little Boy components. 2 key pieces were brought on board, the gun assembly which was in a large box welded to the deck, and a smaller box/bucket containing the uranium "bullet" that was welded to the deck of the Commanding Officers stateroom, without telling him what it was. He surmised biological agents.

Last edited by sandiego89 on Fri Sep 15, 2017 9:38 am, edited 1 time in total.