tech talk Long-Lost Aircraft Discovered Warbird Wreck Mystery Off the Coast of Jupiter, , USA

Text and photos by Walt Stearns Of the numerous types of fighter planes used in WWII, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is an incredibility rare aircraft. There is only one remaining in the world that is still in flying condition. Finding one of these largely intact under- water is, to say the least, highly unusual. The first such under- water find was not made until January of 2010, when a scuba shop owner in Maui discovered a Helldiver resting in 50ft (15m) of water in Maalaea Bay. Some 20 months later, a second aircraft was located just north of Palm Beach, Florida. This is the story of its discovery.

The discovery Weather throughout seas, local dive charter operator Randy simply wanted to see what he something came into view low to the mid-December had Randy Jordan took a perfect oppor- might find. “A small group of us had just bottom, and it was not very big. It wasn’t become unseasonably tunity to run his boat, Emerald Diver, gotten to the bottom, and we noticed until I was over the top of it that I realized calm, generating no a little further offshore to make a some fish swimming over to the right. I was looking down at the fuselage of a more than a moder- couple deep bounce dives in the Underwater visibility was excellent that plane with its wings and tail still attached, ate chop four miles 180 to 200ft (55 to 61m) range. day, and the current was carrying us resting upside down the sea floor. It was offshore. Taking advan- The location for the first drop was slightly north, so I was able to swim over the most amazing thing,” said Jordan. tage of the favorable US NAVY ARCHIVES an area not previously visited, and to see what was there. As I got closer, “Here it was just sitting there, yet it was Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

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Historical photo from 1947 of SB2C-5 Helldiver planes on the USS Tarawa

the last thing I would ever expect planes—some with the pilots— later assumed the larger aircraft to find out here!” were lost off our coast; most such might have exploded in mid-air losses were a result of training during the course of the search, Identification exercise mishaps with mechanical but no one knows for sure. LIGHTWEIGHT Returning the following day for failures. The similarity of this plane to the a better look, Randy took sev- missing Avengers was eral minutes of video, which he Historical disappearances hard to ignore. It had obviously posted online in hopes that some- The most infamous disappear- been down for some time, was one might identify the make and ance was that of Flight 19. Five of similar size and had an internal model of the mystery single engine Grumman TBM Avenger model tor- weapons bay for carrying bombs CHAMPION aircraft. One thing was certain: pedo bombers took off out of the or torpedoes in its belly. As much (only 2kg) The aircraft appeared to be of Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, as our imagination would like it to a vintage variety and had been Florida, on 5 December 1945, on a be otherwise, the mystery aircraft down for quite some time, already routine overwater navigation-train- turned out not to be a part of making the chance of a positive ing mission; they were never heard Flight 19. However, Randy’s discov- ID difficult. from again. When vintage aircraft buff In addition Kevin Knebel saw the video, he to the loss of confirmed the plane was a craft five planes from the Second World War era. and their “It’s not really that surprising that crew, a PBM a WWII plane would be found off Mariner Flying Florida,” said Knebel. During the Boat with a war there were active air bases up 13-man crew and down the coast. The US Navy assigned to D9 BREATHABLE had facilities for training pilots at the search for • 4-Layer Breathable Ultra light shell • Flexible TIZIP Master Seal Front zipper • Fabric socks • Witham Field just north of Jupiter the five miss- Quick-Dry • Latex seals • Warm cuffs • SI TECH valves • Telescope Torso • Seam free crotch • in Martin County, another south ing Avengers, Fabric socks • Integrated suspenders • Pre-bent knees • Knee reinforcement • Zipper cover in Fort Lauderdale and a facility also vanished in Key West, which is still active without a www.waterproof.eu today. As such, a fair number of trace. It was US NAVY ARCHIVES Grumman TBM Avenger

80 X-RAY MAG : 68 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO tech talk Designed specifically for carrier duty Warbird in the Second World War, the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver’s single-engine, two- seater design (pilot front, and RIO in the rear) had a top speed of 295mph with a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds comprised of either bombs or torpedoes, which were carried inter- nally in the aircraft’s fuselage.

US NAVY ARCHIVE ery did turn out to be something equally reveal the date the plane was built, rare: a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver—identifiable as well as who flew it, where it served, by its broad, rounded-shape wings and and the date it was decommissioned, large tail. crashed or shot down. The BuAer number on a Helldiver is More questions stamped into the data plate located Even with the make of the aircraft deter- in the cockpit next to the pilot’s right mined, there were still unanswered ques- elbow. However, even assuming this tions. Where did it come from and what plane’s data plate had survived dec- caused it to end up in 180ft (55m) of ades of submersion, it would be next to water? Were there lives lost? impossible to access it, because it is rest- The simplest way to identify an aircraft ing upside down on the bottom. is by finding it’s Bureau of Aeronautics Navy Department (BuAer) number Sunken Military Craft Act (similar to an automobile VIN or Vehicle Another component to identifying mili- Identification Number), issued to every tary aircraft through more than causal plane built as it rolls off the assembly observation are directives issued by line. With this, Naval Archives would likely the Underwater Archaeology Branch

(UAB) of the Naval History & Heritage raise environmental concerns. In addi- To compensate for these factors, div- Command (NHHC) known as the Sunken tion, the UAB maintains a geographic ing the wreck entails a live drop. Hitting Military Craft Act, which still has jurisdic- information system and database of over it square on requires both perfect timing tion on all aircraft and other vintage 3,000 ship and 14,000 aircraft wrecks and positioning. If the boat captain does wrecks. Under the Act, the for management as well as prepares not begin the drop directly up current maintains ownership of any sunken mili- nominations for the National Register of of the plane, divers will miss to the left or tary craft and its associated contents Historic Places. right. A drop begun too late will not allow owned or operated by the government divers time to descend and they over- at the time of its sinking, regardless of the Diving the plane shoot the wreck; a drop too early can passage of time or location. As a result, The challenge in reaching this wreck is waste precious bottom time as divers drift it is illegal to disturb, remove, or dam- not only the depth, but also the fact that toward the target. age sunken military craft, including navy it is a small, low profile target sitting on Visibility on the site can range from wrecks, as well as foreign government an expansive stretch of sandy bottom more than 100ft (30m) to less than 30ft historic wrecks located in US waters, with- directly in the path of the Gulf Stream’s (9m), and when the visibility is down, out permission. northbound current. The very nature of divers have even less margin for error. The UAB also manages the protection this wreck’s physical location makes it There was hard current and 30ft (9m) of Navy sunken military craft as, in addi- extremely impractical to anchor nearby visibility on my first attempt to dive the tion to their historical importance, many and tie in a downline, as the current over wreck, rendering a twilight world on the of them serve as war graves, carry unex- the wreck can be more than three knots bottom. A week later, conditions had ploded ordnance, or may potentially at any given time. vastly improved, with visibility opening up

81 X-RAY MAG : 68 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO THIS PAGE: Scenes from the wreck of the Helldiver plane off the coast of Jupiter, Florida; tech talk Tony Grogan (owner of Spearboard.com) investigates the wreck (right). This day provided Warbird ideal conditions, with seas less than two feet, very light current and water that was a deep iridescent blue from surface to bottom.

While this part of the wreck presented some of the more worthy subject matter for imagery, get- ting some of those shots was also most hazardous. All around it, like sen- tries at their post, was a large gathering of lionfish, requiring a few sweeps with my strobe arms to clear a spot to shoot. Getting quilted by even one of their long spines would not be fun, espe- cially with the long deco we would need to per- form as part of the dive still to come.

to a spectacular 130ft (40m)- has been on the plus, along with a mild current sea floor possibly pushing ever so lightly north. 60-something years, On the descent, my first it is still amazingly glimpse of the plane reminded intact. With the me of a child’s discarded toy, exception of the with the nose section and flaps and parts propeller off to one side, and of the skin having the body off to the other. The fallen off, both the plane’s current position has it wings and rear hori- pointing almost due south, nose zontal stabilizers are into the current. Hence, it’s rea- still firmly attached sonable to say the weight of to the airframe. the engine (the propeller act- Forward of ing like the flukes of an anchor) the cockpit, the marked the spot where the shroud, known plane may have first settled as the nacelle, to the bottom. Over time, the which once cov- continuous buffeting of the ered the Helldiver’s current and corrosive actions radial engine, was of the elements weakened gone leaving the the engine’s connection to motor mounts well the airframe, which eventually exposed to the elements and atop the metal surfaces. A trail of Accident detached and likely pushed it growth. Each pop of my cam- Some 25ft (7.6m) up cur- Reports back to where it now sits. era strobes revealed vibrant rent from the nose completely To recap, there were sev- shades of orange with spack- inline with the airframe sit the eral active air bases up and Mostly intact lings of deep red produced by SB2C’s engine with its four- down the Florida coast dur- For an aluminum aircraft that years of accumulated growth bladed propeller still attached. ing and in the years following

82 X-RAY MAG : 68 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO THIS PAGE: Scenes from the wreck of the Helldiver plane off the coast of Jupiter, tech talk Florida; My first full glimpse of the Curtiss Helldiver reminded me of a child’s discarded toy, with the airframe lying there upside down with SB2C’s radial engine and four-bladed propeller (still attached) resting some 25ft up current from the nose of the plane. For an aluminum aircraft that has been on the sea floor possibly 60-something years, it is still amazingly intact.

control shortly after takeoff. It Looking over the Helldiver’s skel- 1945. An SB2C-3 model Helldiver, was later determined that one etal remains, one could imagine piloted by Lt. T.H. Mewborn made of the plane’s wing tips may the pilot had performed a wet a “wheels up, flaps up” forced have clipped a tree at the end landing (think US Airways Miracle landing during his approach into of the field, in the dark, causing on the Hudson), as evidenced Morrison Field, known today as the plane to bank sharply and by the intact airframe and wing, Palm Beach International Airport. cartwheel into the neighboring and the fact that the landing Among the Helldiver’s less- orange grove. An accident like gear was still retracted. This brings than-satisfactory handling char- that would have severely man- us to our last current lead—from acteristics is that during a land- gled both the airframe and wings. an accident report filed 3 April ing approach, the plane would come dangerously close to being out of control. This would some- the Second World War. During 24 November 1942, some 40 miles planes were definitely out of con- times force the pilot to abort the those years, every base had lost (64km) north of Fort Lauderdale, trol after the collision.” landing and gun the throttles a few planes to training mishaps Florida. The details in the report Going on that last piece of to regain speed and lift. But this and mechanical failures, many are a bit sketchy, but describe information, the likelihood of action would sometimes cause of which occurred over water. how the plane piloted by Ensign either plane remaining even the plane’s nose to pitch too Without the plane’s BuAer num- Louie H Steman became inter- partially intact after that kind of sharply upwards, causing it to ber, the next best source of clues locked with a second plane as a mid-air collision would be slim. over the carrier deck. Other to the plane’s identity is looking at result of a mid-air collision at an Furthermore, the Curtiss SBC-3 was times, the lack of control during accident reports (at US$15 a pop) altitude of 1,000ft (305km). a biplane rather than a single- approach would cause the plane from US Naval Archives. While the occupants of both wing aircraft, so we can safely to stall directly onto the deck. One of the more compelling planes were able to parachute to rule them out. In addition, there were frequent reports was an incident involving safety with no serious injuries and Another report involved an maintenance problems with the not one but two SBC-3s, which “remained afloat by means of life SB2C-1C lost on 16 January 1945, Curtiss-Electric propeller, which occurred during a practice run on jackets,” the report states: “Both when Lt. John J Gostovny lost used a complex hydraulic system

83 X-RAY MAG : 68 : 2015 EDITORIAL FEATURES TRAVEL NEWS WRECKS EQUIPMENT BOOKS SCIENCE & ECOLOGY TECH EDUCATION PROFILES PHOTO & VIDEO PORTFOLIO THIS PAGE: Scenes from the wreck of the Helldiver plane off the coast of Jupiter, tech talk Florida; With the exception of the flaps and parts of the skin having fallen off, both the Warbird wings and rear horizontal stabilizers are still firmly attached to the airframe.

CURTISS SB2C HELLDIVER airspeed was dropped below 90 knots, — The history of the Curtiss Helldiver is an especially problematic trait for carrier not particularly charmed. landings, as the plane’s approaching Originally, the Helldiver was a carrier- airspeed needed to be around 85 knots. based, dive-bomber designed by the Mechanical issues also plagued the Curtiss-Wright Corporation to replace Helldiver, giving rise to a number of not the Douglas SBD Dauntless. While the so endearing nicknames, such as the Dauntless had the ability to carry a Big-tailed Beast or the Son-of-a-Bitch, considerable array of armament, its 2nd Class—playing off the SB2C service primary setback is that it was relatively designation. slow, which created limitations as It wasn’t until 1944 that some of the a carrier-based fast strike bomber. SB2C’s chronic handling issues were Although the first Helldiver prototype was resolved through the introduction of the introduced on 18 December 1940, the R-2600-20 model 1,900 HP Twin Cyclone plane suffered a series of design issues engine, coupled with a redesigned warranting numerous changes to the Curtiss 4-bladed propeller. Yet despite airframe, which included lengthening its rocky start and less than favorable the fuselage and fitting it with a larger reception, the Helldiver wiped out more tail. Even with the re-designed airframe, Japanese targets than any other aircraft the Helldiver bore a litany of mechanical in battle. faults. It was seriously underpowered, During the same period, the SB2C had an unreliable electrical system Helldiver was amassing a fine combat and a shorter range than the SBD (the record (during the last two years of plane it was intended to replace). These the war in the Pacific). Back home, problems delayed final delivery of the the Truman Committee’s investigation aircraft until 1943. on the Helldiver production issues In spite of the fact that it had a top (encompassing more than 880 changes) speed of 475km/h (295mph)—faster ensued into a scathing report, and the than the SBD it replaced— eventual beginning of the end for the that caused the pitch of the propeller of knowing if it too is bent or straight. and a propensity to stay SB2C Helldiver program. Following the to go to near zero upon failure, thereby Taking in the very visible bends in the in the air after receiving a war, the US Navy kept what remained causing the blades to become ineffec- propellers and that the fact that landing good bit of damage, the of their SB2C squadrons in active service tive in pulling the plane forward. gear is still retracted and tucked in the SB2C was not a well-liked up to 1947, then moved them to naval wings, it would be conceivable to say this aircraft with flight crews. It reserve units for another three years Evidence of collission plane could be the same one that crash- handled poorly whenever its before decommissioning them in 1950.  Studying the sharp bends in two of the landed at Morrison Field in 1945. Other wreck’s four propeller blades, with the supporting evidence is that control of the third exposed blade still straight, it’s obvi- airfield had changed hands from the US reports still under file. Without TBF_AVENGER ous this plane hit something hard. In most Army to the US Air Force to the City of a solid piece of evidence, like HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/PBM_MARINER instances when a prop driven aircraft West Palm Beach around the turn of 1959 the plane’s BuAer number, HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/CURTISS_SB2C_ performs a wet landing, the blades are to 1960. During that timeline, several der- we will never know for sure, HELLDIVER bent backward, sometimes with little elict aircraft from the field were suppos- leaving this warbird mystery HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/DOUGLAS_SBD_ more than subtle curvature to the blade. edly loaded on a barge and dumped wreck, and many others still DAUNTLESS When the blades hit something harder well offshore of the Palm Beach Inlet. unsolved.  HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/PALM_BEACH_ like earth, the bends are more abrupt, Of course, all this is speculation. There is INTERNATIONAL_AIRPORT sometimes at sharp right angles as they the fact that the military did lose several REFERENCES: HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/NATIONAL_ are here. Without being able to see the planes during and for a few years after HTTP://WWW.WARBIRDINFORMA- REGISTER_OF_HISTORIC_PLACES condition of the fourth blade, as it is bur- the war off Florida’s East Coast; plus, we US NAVY ARCHIVES TIONEXCHANGE.ORG/ HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/BUREAU_OF_ ied deep in the bottom, there is no way have not exhausted the list of accident A Helldiver that suffered a face plant following a failed HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/ AERONAUTICS landing on a carrier deck

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