Amchitka P-38 Graveyard

[Jack Cook]

X-343rd FG P-38Ls on the scrap heap

[noizeedave]

Thats so depressing im ready to puke now!

Id like to find out what machine crunched them up in the junkyard and blow it up to feel better about seeing those photos! OUCH:(

[Jack Cook]

Forgot about hunting for P-40s and P-38s there. They used the island
to test nuclear weapons until 1971. It's restricted until 2025.

[Lynn Allen]

Forgot about hunting for P-40s and P-38s there. They used the island
to test nuclear weapons until 1971. It's restricted until 2025.

I can wait to glow in the dark.......

Lynn

[fotobass]

Any of them there Google World folks able to dial that place in?

[daveymac82c]

Well, Amchitka.... I Found the airfield on Google Earth.

The coordinates are:

51' 26'42.54 N 179' 08'o2.38 E

The current image is snow covered, but you can zoom in fairly close. Is there any idea about which quadrant the airframes may or may not be roughly located?

-David

[noizeedave]

See then, someone more intense than me got upset and nuked the darn machine that crushed them!!!!!! hahahah

[Pete AK]

Photos were taken on Shemya Island in the Aleutians, not Amchitka. Just wanted to correct the record. See this link:

http://www.hlswilliwaw.com/aleutians/Sh ... -page2.htm

photos 27 & 28.

[seabee1526]

In many cases the same bulldozers that made and maintained the runways for them destroyed and buried them when it was all over. There is a Seabee dumping ground in Guam where you can see a number of tractors and seabee pontoons...even a truck or two, supposed to be nice diving there.

http://smpguam.wordpress.com/author/seabeemarinepark/

[CoastieJohn]

It looks like in the far background of the second picture there are some airframes already in the burying process. That looks like it would be easy to pinpoint with the building reference. That #115 plane shows up twice in those pictures. The ocean is in the background so you know it is one of the perimeter roads where those airframes are buried.

Edit Added From Wiki: ""Postwar era
With the exception of a small station housekeeping unit, Shemya was abandoned after the war. The island was littered with abandoned Army and Navy aircraft wrecks and deteriorating station structures. Abandoned vehicles, warehouse stores of all types, rations, clothing and all the other tools of war, including ammunition and bombs were simply left out to the elements.""

[wendovertom]

I know this is off topic but there is a site on Tinian very similar to Guam - often called "dump coke" - there are all kinds of cool things there including R3350's and props (when I was there in 2010). However a large amount of phosphorus munitions were also dumped here. Best to follow the advise of "take only photos"! Here is a link with more info about the site:

http://saipanscuba.blogspot.com/2008/02 ... sites.html

Tom P.

[Mark Allen M]

If I'm not mistaken these P-47's were discarded in the Philippines shortly after the war.

[maradamx3]

Is there anyone that sees these pics and doesn't wish they had one of those wrecks in their backyard or hangar? Like was said earlier, these pics are tough to view and cause a stirring in my belly. Makes me appreciate even more the airframes that were saved and are flying or on display.

[pilot06]

Ugh. I guess the engine and props are worthless too. Where is that time travelling device when I need it.

PC

X-343rd FG P-38Ls on the scrap heap

[gary1954]

If I'm not mistaken these P-47's were discarded in the Philippines shortly after the war.

Check out the Track vehicle upside down in the pit, an aircraft tug maybe?