Douglas Dauntless NZ5021 on the Registry

Dave Homewood · **Posted:** Sun Apr 27, 2008 7:02 am

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/sbdregis ... 10508.html

The Warbird Registry reckons that Douglas Dauntless NZ5021 (Contsructor's Number 2468, Bureau No. 10508) went back to the US Navy and ended up in Lake Michegan.

The aircraft, which served with No's 25 and 26 Squadrons as an operational trainer at RNZAF Station Seagrove, was first loaned to and then transferred to the RNZAF from Marine Air Group 14 in late 1943, and brought on charge with Unit 35, Seagrove on the 14th of November 1943. It then passed to No. 25 Squadron shortly after that, and later to No.26 Squadron in January 1944.

The aircraft was in storage at RNZAF Station Hobsonville by March 1944. It remained in storage till finally disposed of and sold to Jim Edwards from Hobsonville on the 1st of March 1948.

Apparently parts from this aircraft remained in NZ and then were exported. So, how and when did it supposedly end up in Lake Michegan, and then get recovered again? Did it crash into the drink as a warbird? Or has some dataplate switching been going on here?

I'm confused.

RMAllnutt · **Posted:** Sun Apr 27, 2008 12:13 pm

I may be completely wrong here, as it may be a different aircraft. However, I recall that sn SBD project was re-possessed by the US Navy which was using a fuselage recovered from Lake Michigan. It had been combined with a lot of parts from a RNZAF aircraft, including wings, to form a complete project. Maybe this is the aircraft, but I am not certain of the accurate details. This story was relayed to me by a friend of mine who has a Dauntless project. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Richard

PS. I do know that someone went to Jacquinot Bay a couple of decades ago and recovered several sets of RNZAF Dauntless wings. Perhaps that's where the wings I mentioned came from.

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Douglas Dauntless NZ5021 on the Registry

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