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Maui dive operator finds intact wreckage of World War II Navy plane
Brad Varney, owner of B&B Scuba Maui, said the the submerged wreckaget appears to be a nearly intact Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless - World War II-era U.S. Navy dive bomber.
Credit: US Navy via Wikipedia
(Filephoto) Douglas SBD-5 Dauntlesses in tricolor scheme from USS Yorktown ca. 1944.
Star Bulletin | Maui tour operator says he found wreckage of World War II Navy plane off Maui | 11-22-2011
Both canopies were open, with the plane's gauges clearly visible on the console, and the back flaps are down. He said the only detached part was the top tail rudder, which he found resting on the sand not far away.
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Varney says he learned of the plane from a fisherman who complained fish were hiding under its wings. "A local fisherman happened to come into the shop and mention that he was trying to catch some fish under the wings of a plane. I'm like, 'What plane?'" Varney said.
Varney said the plane is off the beaten path. That may explain why it's gone undiscovered.
He said it appears the pilot and gunner got out safely.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration maritime archaeologist and historian Hans Van Tilburg said naval records indicate only six Dauntlesses were lost in waters near Maui. In June the wreckage of another Dauntless was pulled from Lake Michigan. Now this one has been found.
The single-engine two-man bomber could reach speeds of 250 mph, carrying ammunition and a 1,000-pound payload. The United States had over 2,000 of them.
The Navy is investigating how it got there so he has been ordered not to divulge its exact location.
Maui tour operator says he found wreckage of World War II Navy plane off Maui
Further reading â–º WW2 Warplane hauled from Lake Michigan
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