Found- PBY sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor

Warbirdnerd · **Joined:** Fri Apr 30, 2004 7:34 pm **Posts:** 2923

Quote:

NOAA and University of Hawaii archaeologists today released rare images of a U.S. Navy airplane sunk during the opening minutes of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on Oahu on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. The attack led to the United States' entry into World War II.

Minutes before attacking Pearl Harbor, Japanese Imperial Navy aircraft bombed the nearby U.S. Naval Air Station on the east coast of Oahu. Twenty-seven Catalina PBY "flying boats" on the ground or moored on Kāne‛ohe Bay were destroyed, and six others were damaged. The strike on the seaplane base was a significant loss for the U.S. military, as these long-range patrol bombers could have followed the Japanese planes back to their carriers.

In 1994, Kāne‛ohe Bay's murky waters thwarted a University of Hawaii dive team's attempt to photograph the wreck of a Catalina PBY-5. A second effort in 2008 by a local sport diving group, Hawaii Underwater Explorers, also had limited success.

In June, with better visibility and using improved camera equipment, a team of students from the University of Hawaii Marine Option Program returned to the wreck and conducted a detailed archaeological survey. The student effort was coordinated by Hans Van Tilburg, a maritime archaeologist with NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. This latest effort also produced the first systematic photo and video documentation of the entire site.

Van Tilburg said while the precise identity of the aircraft remains unknown, it is possible the crew died while attempting to take off in the face of the attack. The plane, which rests in three large pieces at a depth of 30 feet, is protected by the Sunken Military Craft Act of 2004, which prohibits unauthorized disturbance of military vessels or planes owned by the U.S. government, as well as foreign sunken military craft that lie within U.S. waters.

"The new images and site plan help tell the story of a largely forgotten casualty of the attack," Van Tilburg said. "The sunken PBY plane is a very important reminder of the "Day of Infamy,' just like the USS Arizona and USS Utah. They are all direct casualties of December 7."

"This sunken flying boat is a window into the events of the attack, a moment in time that reshaped the Pacific region," said June Cleghorn, senior archaeologist at Marine Corps Base Hawaii. "Understanding this site sheds light on the mystery of the lost PBYs and honors the legacy of the Navy and Marine Corps Base in Hawaii."

The University of Hawaii Marine Option Program is the only institution that offers maritime archaeological survey training to undergraduates in the Pacific. The survey course, known as MAST (Maritime Archaeology Surveying Techniques), teaches marine scientists how to document significant but little-known World War II historic artifacts and other types of submerged sites.

"We're excited to partner with NOAA in order to create these unique and important opportunities for our students," said Cynthia L. Hunter, Marine Option Program director. "Partnerships like this provide a means by which forgotten history is remembered, and stories like those of the PBY fleet can be shared with new generations, including the students who worked to map the wreck."

To see photos, video and other materials, visit http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/pby-5/.

Found it here:
http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/press/ ... arbor.html

ALOHADAVE · **Posted:** Fri Dec 04, 2015 7:22 pm

Photos Show Plane Sunk In ’41 Attack
It was one of 27 U.S. Navy “flying boats” destroyed at Kaneohe Bay minutes before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor.
Link to story here:

http://www.civilbeat.com/2015/12/lost-plane-blog/

NOAA and University of Hawaii archaeologists conducted a detailed archaeological survey of a U.S. Navy PBY-5 Catalina airplane sunk during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

Coordinated by NOAA maritime archaeologist, Hans Van Tilburg, a team of students from the University of Hawaii Marine Option Program produced the first systematic photo and video documentation of the wreck site.
Video link here:

http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/shipwrecks/pby-5/

I worked as a consultant on this project. For the rest of the story that was not in the news:

Four PBYs were moored in Kaneohe Bay about 1000 yards apart. Two were from VP-12 and two were from VP-14. The first attacks were directed at the PBY moored on the water. All planes except those under repair were armed with machine guns and a full allowance of machine gun ammunition. Each plane had about 1,700 gallons of fuel.

There were Sailors aboard each of the moored PBYs in the Bay. They acted as plane guards or buoy tenders to ensure the planes did not take on water, checked lines attached to buoys and guarded the planes. Of the plane guards aboard PBYs in the water, two killed, 2 survived. One of the four was from VP-12, AMM1c Daniel T. Griffin, killed on his moored aircraft, body found in bay 11Dec in Kaneohe bay.

In addition to the planes already in the water, an effort to save burning PBYs after the initial first wave attack, men pushed a PBY into the bay in an attempt to put out the fire on its wing. Another account says the men launched the aircraft into the water where the Sailors continued fighting fires.

The wing of another was also in flames; they threw a line around the float and with a ramp tractor pulled off the wing. From another account: One ramp tractor driver steeped on the gas too hard, tearing the port wing section off a burning PBY.

Photo shows Sailors attempt to save a burning PBY at Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, during the Japanese air raid. This plane was set afire by strafing in the initial phase of the attack and was sunk in the second attack.

The men were able to put out most of the fires between the attacks. Unfortunately this cleared the targets for the attackers during the second wave.

The PBY floated on the water with a line attached to it held by several Sailors. During the second wave, the men let go of the line, took cover and the plane floated further out and then sank after it was again strafed.

Warbird Information Exchange

Found- PBY sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor

Who is online