Aircraft

Diver reaches Liberator 589D aircraft wreck
Diver reaches Liberator 589D aircraft wreck.

Divers confirm discovery of WWII bomber in Gander Lake

The plane crashed upon take-off when the engine failed on 4 September 1943. The aircraft made a slow turn and barrel-rolled into Gander Lake, Newfoundland. The four-crew members did not survive.

At the time of the crash in 1943, military hardhat divers found the aircraft “Liberator 589D” on a ledge in Gander Lake. They attempted to attach cables to the fuselage to salvage the plane. They were also recovering the body of Squadron Leader John G. MacKenzie.

Hudson Plane Wreck: WWII Light Bomber in Sweden's Gullmarsfjord

Historical photo of the Lockheed Hudson Mark III aircraft, before conversion to carrier

There are not many wrecks in the fjord of Gullmarn. What wrecks there are here should, of course, be slightly inaccessible, at a depth of 64m. For a long time, our dive team had talked about going down to the Hudson plane hidden in the fjord. Now, the wait was finally over

The first Barracudas entered operational service on 10 January 1943 with 827 Squadron of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), who were deployed in the North Atlantic. Eventually a total of 24 front-line FAA squadrons were equipped with Barracudas.

British WWII torpedo bomber found in Norwegian fjord

On 22. February 1945 nine Fairey Barracuda from 821 Naval Air Squadron are launched from the aircraft carrier HMS Puncher in the North sea on a minelaying operation along the western coast of Norway, or more specifically Karmsundet which is a narrow strait south of the coastal town of Haugesund.

On Monday, 26 August 2019, the former airliner slipped slowly below the surface, just south of Aqaba's main port, to become the latest addition to the already substantial number of artificial reefs along Jordan's stretch of Red Sea coastline.
On Monday, 26 August 2019, the former airliner slipped slowly below the surface, just south of Aqaba's main port, to become the latest addition to the already substantial number of artificial reefs along Jordan's stretch of Red Sea coastline.

Aqaba sinks airplane for new artificial reef

The TriStar plane is a commercial airliner that has been out of service and parked at King Hussein International Airport for several years. The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) recently purchased the plane with the intention of sinking it, and it was transferred to the main port to prepare it for is final role. The TriStar is the second aircraft to become an artificial reef off Jordan's coastline. In November 2017, a Hercules C130 was scuttled a bit farther down the coast.

On 28 February 1943, the crew of the Catalina sent out a radio statement saying they needed to make an emergency landing. The aircraft crashed during the attempted landing and the 11 personnel on board were killed.

WW2 aircraft wreckage found on Great Barrier Reef

The wreckage was first discovered 56km south of Cairns in 35m of water by Cairns diver Kevin Coombs in 2013, but weather and planning challenges delayed the final dives to complete the investigation.

The A24-25 was part of a task force flying long‑range missions against Japanese shipping and submarines during World War Two. On 28 February 1943, Catalina A24-25 and its 11 aircrew were on a 17-hour mission to provide anti-submarine cover to a convoy heading for Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea.

Filephoto of a Boeing B-17 'Flying Fortress'

B-17 Flying Fortress bomber found off Sicily

The Flying Fortress took part in a raid on Palermo on April 18 1943 when it was attacked by several German ME-110 fighters that knocked out one of its engines. The aircraft, part of the 353rd Bomber Squadron of the American air force, crashed into the sea, with the loss of all nine crew.

The WW2 bomber was found a few months ago by a group Italian divers who are part of a project called “Shadows of the Deep”, which aims to locate the wrecks of planes and boats off Sicily.

A Halifax bomber lost in World War 2 has been found at the bottom of a Norwegian Fjord
(Unrelated filephoto). The Handley Page Halifax was a British heavy bomber aircraft of World War II

WW2 British bomber found in Norwegian fjord

The Halifax bomber was struck by heavy flak and made a successful crash landing 600ft down a water inlet in northern Norway.

The sunken bomber will be protected as a war grave because of the likelihood of the remains of the two airman still being on board. Four of the six-man crew bailed out into a dingy but nothing was ever seen of navigator, Flight Sergeant Albert Columbine, or wireless operator, Arthur Evans. It is believed they drowned when the bomber went down.