Friday, March 26, 2010

Wreckage of WWII Helldiver Plane Found in Oregon


The Curtiss Helldiver, despite a reputation for being difficult to handle at low speeds, was responsible for the destruction of more Japanese targets than any other aircraft. It was primarily used to attack Japanese submarines/ The Curtiss SB2C single-engine dive-bomber joined the fleet late in 1943, joining the Douglas Dauntless as the primary attack/bombing planes for the US Navy. The two-man Helldiver had a top speed of 295 mph and good range, making it an essential tool in the far reaches of the Pacific war.

Loggers along the Oregon Coast (between Wheeler and Rockaway) have found the remains of a Helldiver in the forest. Three planes were known to have gone down in the area - 2 in 1945 and 1 in 1948. Logging crews saw a wing, tail section, landing gear and other debris in a heavily wooded area. The debris field was strewn over a 200 yard area.

Munitions experts have searched for any live weapons and JPAC (Joint Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Command) are looking for any possible human remains in the area, as the Helldivers carried a crew of two.




5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice to see History surface.

Coffeypot said...

I find it amazing, even for OSEC in WWII that no one knows of a missing plane in that area of the US. Two missing zoomies and a plane? I wonder if they will find any remains after almost 70 years.

Necromancer said...

Great pictures Thank you FG. Catch you on facebook.
"Semper Fi"
Mike

Nike Athena said...

This is a fascinating story. Somehow I missed the coverage of it. Came across this interesting follow-up story http://www.eaa.org/news/2010/2010-04-01_helldiver.asp

Flag Gazer said...

Interesting follow up... thanks