WWII plane pulled out of Lake Michigan today.

[Lye-El]

Here's a clip from a news channel.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=6778499

[Phantomz]

Saw them pullin it out on CNN well caught a glimpse at work it looked like it was still in decent condition on the outside.

[crazyivan]

Yeah just saw that cool stuff.

[MstWntd]

Must be an SBD?

[Phantomz]

Yup SBD Dauntless

[Buzzard7]

From what I hear there are actualy quite a few in the lake. If they are at any kind of depth where very little light hits them they should be well preserved. I have heard of some being pulled from the great lakes and just need a good drying out to be in working condition.

Wonder if there are any Hogs down there. We could use a few more of those flying.

[PFactorDave]

Story is, that when the war ended, dozens of brand new suddenly "surplus" aircraft were simply shoved off of the pier where they were waiting to be put into service.

[Bark0]

More than 17,000 pilots completed their aircraft carrier qualification training on Lake Michigan in the 1940s. Today, it's estimated 60 or so of their planes still remain at the bottom of the lake.

"Come get your Free WWII plane Here! Crane cost 500$!"

 

[Rising41]

From what I hear there are actualy quite a few in the lake. If they are at any kind of depth where very little light hits them they should be well preserved. I have heard of some being pulled from the great lakes and just need a good drying out to be in working condition.

Wonder if there are any Hogs down there. We could use a few more of those flying.

From my understanding. there is at least 2 (Hogs) + 58 other types still not found but listed as down in Lake Michiagan.

O'Hare airport has a nice wildcat restored after many years under the lake. (Or is it at Midway? I forget now.) That may be the one your thinking of. From my understanding it's guns and engine were in working order within a day of repairs.

EDIT: old report. http://www.midwaysaircraft.org/training_on_the_lake2.htm
2nd edit lol... 1 known F4u. "The Navy used various aircraft for these training qualifications. Through ship’s logs and Aircraft Accident Cards we know that of the aircraft listed as lost were 41 TBM/TBF Avengers, one F4U Corsair, 38 SBD Dauntless, four F6F Hellcats, 17 SNJ Texans, two SB2U Vindicators, 37 FM/F4F Wildcats and three experimental drones known as TDNs.10 Several of the aircraft used for training had prior military history. Some served in Pacific campaigns, others in North Africa. Very few were new planes. Taken individually, the aircraft lost in Lake Michigan have historical value for battle service.11 However, even though many never saw battle they are still valuable as representatives of their type, or for their rarity today. Taken as a whole, the entire assemblage is significant for their service in carrier qualifications training in Lake Michigan. This history is important to the Navy, to the states surrounding southern Lake Michigan and to the nation."

From http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-6i.htm

[ROX]

That's my hometown.

Larsen Marine is not far from where the old OMC Sterndrive/Johnson Outboard plants (engines used by the Cousteus) used to be.

That plane was one of those that was used for practicing dive bombing, torpedo, and strafing runs.

They'd either tow or leave floating "targets" just off the Beaches at Illinois Beach State Park and practice setting up their runs.  They did use real 50 cals on the practice strafing runs.

While that plane was found in 300+' of water, the beaches were further into the lake back then (by about 1/2 mile in someplaces) so back then it would have been far shallower.  The lake gobbled up many lakefront homes and restraunts back in the 50's and 60's.

My father-in-law (who lived in Zion, IL at that time) told me he and his brothers would ride their bikes down to the beach and watch the displays of air power.  He went in in 1943 and was in the second wave at DDay.


ROX

[ROX]

From my understanding. there is at least 2 (Hogs) + 58 other types still not found but listed as down in Lake Michiagan.

O'Hare airport has a nice wildcat restored after many years under the lake. (Or is it at Midway? I forget now.) That may be the one your thinking of. From my understanding it's guns and engine were in working order within a day of repairs.

One nice thing about many Lake Michigan wrecks of both maritime and aircraft is that the waters remail cooler than 70F in the summer (peak--mainly in the 60's near the shore--colder deeper) and the lake has frozen across in many winters and the Coast Guard Cutters are required to do the dirty work.

This makes a nice, cold water that actually preserves metals far longer.



ROX

[Rino]

"Come get your Free WWII plane Here! Crane cost 500$!"

 

     I'm sure the US Navy will appreciate your recovering their property for
them.  They sure don't like to give up those Lake Michigan birds.

[Masherbrum]

One nice thing about many Lake Michigan wrecks of both maritime and aircraft is that the waters remail cooler than 70F in the summer (peak--mainly in the 60's near the shore--colder deeper) and the lake has frozen across in many winters and the Coast Guard Cutters are required to do the dirty work.

This makes a nice, cold water that actually preserves metals far longer.

ROX

Exactly.   There are PLENTY of wooden shipwrecks still intact.   If I'm not mistaken the Great Lakes have more than 3,000 in total and I'd have to say that 90% or more are preserved.   

Also, there is a 100% restored SBD at the Kalamazoo AirZoo that was pulled from Lake Michigan.

[Treize69]

Theres a B-24 offshore not far from where I grew up (Lake Ontario, near Mexico Bay and the port of Oswego) that the local divers love to hit, but it went down in a snowstorm, and from what I hear its in pretty bad shape.

EDIT- Heres the news articles from the local papers when she went down.

http://www.caterpillarclub.org/getaway1/getaway1.htm

And for the wooden ships mentioned, I give you the USS Hamilton and USS Scourge. Lost in a sudden squall during the War of 1812.

http://vaxxine.com/nda/hamilton/hsupdate.htm

http://www.hamilton-scourge.hamilton.ca/home.htm

[Chalenge]

Many airfields in Florida and probably other States too have 'condemned' parcels of land attached to the airport property where WWII aircraft were disposed of after the war by simply digging a hole and pushing the planes in and filling the hole over. It wont be long before that fact will have been forgotten and some future archeologist comes along and makes a new 'discovery' about it.