A team of archaeological explorers and scientists recently documented the wreck of a U.S. World War II aircraft 77 years after it was lost off the coast of Hawaii.
The Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL), Project Recover, and private research vessel Petrel used advanced tech to generate detailed images of the sunken Grumman TBF Avenger. The site is believed to be associated with three U.S. servicemen who are missing in action since Oct. 11, 1942.
Twenty years after it was first discovered, scientists and archaeological explorers relocated and documented the site of a WWII aircraft off Oahu, Hawaii, using state-of-the-art technology to image the deep-water site in unprecedented detail. https://t.co/DTmyIEpi9t
— Scripps Institution of Oceanography (@Scripps_Ocean) January 14, 2020
Hawaii Undersea Research Laboratory (HURL) researchers first discovered the site in 1999. The plane was captured on tape by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and a second site, which had unidentifiable debris, was also filmed 2,000 feet away. The aircraft was also spotted in 2013 by the University of Hawaii’s Pisces V manned submersible during another unrelated project.
Thanks to modern oceanographic instruments, the crew of the R/V Petrel and researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, were able to relocate and note the resting place of the plane.
Rob Kraft of R/V Petrel performed a ship-based multi-beam scan of the site and in the area where the HURL researchers snapped an aircraft, were signs of man-made debris. A second survey was conducted with an UUV that collected very high-resolution side scan sonar data. It showed that an object roughly the same size and shape of a plane was on the seabed. High-res video cameras on R/V Petrel’s Argus 6000 ROV recorded data over a 48-hour period to accurately map, record, and identify the sunken aircraft.
Photo Credit: Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego / RV Petrel / Vulcan Inc. / Project Recover
“The unmistakable wreckage of a TBF-Avenger lying in over 100 meters (330 feet) of water appeared onscreen. The wings looked nearly intact, as did portions of the fuselage,” Andrew Pietruszka of Project Recover, said. “The cockpit area had degraded but all three crew positions were still clearly identifiable.”
The aircraft’s engine is also located approximately 50 meters away on the ocean floor. According to the team, the location and distribution of plane wreckage in the area align with the loss of two VT-3 Avengers on October 11, 1942.
“We’ve been hoping someone could fully document these sites for a longtime now,” Steve Price, one of the HURL staff that accompanied the team in the field, added. “I’m grateful that Project Recover and the crew of the R/V Petrel could assist.”
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