B-25 to be raised from lakebed
Fri Sep 09, 2005 3:52 am
Guys, I pilfered this posting from MMs; published by BlueNoser352:
B-25 WWII plane to be retrieved from depths of Lake Murray
COLUMBIA, SC --- Sixty-two years after plunging into Lake Murray, one of the last remaining Army Air Corps war planes will be rescued from 100 feet beneath the lake's surface starting on Saturday, September 10.
According to the expedition's leader, Robert S. Seigler, MD, the retrieval of the now-rare B-25C Bomber may take several days, particularly as the divers will be working on mixed gases, at depth, to attach special straps on the aircraft. The technical team will be led by internationally-known aviation salver, Gary Larkins, who expects the entire operation (which includes the spray-down and disassembly of the aircraft) to take about two weeks. Larkins disassembled, rigged, and raised a P-38 Lightning from beneath 270 feet of a Greenland ice cap several years ago. He is regarded as the premier salver of historic airplanes, with some 60 to his credit worldwide.
Seigler, who has written a history of the Lake Murray B-25s for Warbirds International (attached), has spent two decades researching, locating, videotaping, and securing sidescan radar images of the aircraft. Divers have been quietly examining and documenting the airplane for the past several years in preparation for the retrieval.
The final day of the airplane is well-known. After flying out of the Columbia Army Air Base on April 4, 1943, the B-25C crashed and sank in the man-made lake during a skip-bombing training mission. The military crew escaped the aircraft, which had lost power, and brought it to rest upright, with damage to only the right engine. The crew survived and was rescued. The U.S. Army Air Corps was unable to salvage the aircraft during WWII because of water depth. It was finally located in 1990, virtually intact, under silt.
During the past decade, Seigler, head of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Greenville Hospital System, and John Adams Hodge, an aviation and environmental attorney at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. in Columbia, have dedicated time, energy, and resources to the effort. William (“Bill”) Vartorella, Ph.D., of Camden has helped guide the project. His firm, Craig and Vartorella, Inc, has been involved in exotic projects worldwide in the fields of archaeology, motor sports, and history, to name a few.
The team has continuously sought support in South Carolina and the region from philanthropic foundations, state legislators, museum and airport officials, and corporations as they searched for a permanent site to house the vintage plane. However, no SC venues were prepared to preserve such an aircraft in an indoor setting that met the need for painstaking restoration and ongoing public interpretation.
With a commitment to keeping the airplane in the South, Seigler's nonprofit, Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project (501-c-3), has found an appropriate home for the airplane at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama. There, the plane will be restored, conserved, and displayed in its public museum. Hodge, an attorney, registered geologist and airline pilot, and Seigler and Vartorella have collaborated with South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, the U.S. military, historians and numerous others to prepare for the final stages of this quest.
The upcoming retrieval has not been announced previously due to curiosity-seekers who might disturb the plane’s safe resting area. The skill of the pilot and crew prevented the aircraft’s loss of life. One of the crewmen who escaped is still alive and lives on the West Coast. Due to his health, he may not be able to attend; however, his nephew will attend to represent the family.
Hodge said, “This is about preserving our history and heritage. The aircraft is WWII authentic as it has only been seen by a handful of people since it sank more than 60 years ago. It is in incredibly good shape. Dr. Seigler has expended countless hours and dollars to preserve our history and I hope that South Carolinians will assist him in this noble project.”
According to Vartorella, donations and in-kind contributions to help defray the estimated retrieval costs of $150,000 are appreciated. "We've had some excellent past support from the Arcadia Foundation and companies such as Boozer Lumber have stepped up recently, as well as anonymous individual donors," he said. "This project is likely to get global coverage and this is an excellent opportunity for companies and individuals to let the world know that South Carolina is committed to its heritage and, frankly, is a great place to live and do business."
For additional information, contact the Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project, 106 Highland Drive, Greenville, SC 29605. The media can contact Bill Vartorella at (803) 432-4353.
Saludos,
Tulio
B-25 WWII plane to be retrieved from depths of Lake Murray
COLUMBIA, SC --- Sixty-two years after plunging into Lake Murray, one of the last remaining Army Air Corps war planes will be rescued from 100 feet beneath the lake's surface starting on Saturday, September 10.
According to the expedition's leader, Robert S. Seigler, MD, the retrieval of the now-rare B-25C Bomber may take several days, particularly as the divers will be working on mixed gases, at depth, to attach special straps on the aircraft. The technical team will be led by internationally-known aviation salver, Gary Larkins, who expects the entire operation (which includes the spray-down and disassembly of the aircraft) to take about two weeks. Larkins disassembled, rigged, and raised a P-38 Lightning from beneath 270 feet of a Greenland ice cap several years ago. He is regarded as the premier salver of historic airplanes, with some 60 to his credit worldwide.
Seigler, who has written a history of the Lake Murray B-25s for Warbirds International (attached), has spent two decades researching, locating, videotaping, and securing sidescan radar images of the aircraft. Divers have been quietly examining and documenting the airplane for the past several years in preparation for the retrieval.
The final day of the airplane is well-known. After flying out of the Columbia Army Air Base on April 4, 1943, the B-25C crashed and sank in the man-made lake during a skip-bombing training mission. The military crew escaped the aircraft, which had lost power, and brought it to rest upright, with damage to only the right engine. The crew survived and was rescued. The U.S. Army Air Corps was unable to salvage the aircraft during WWII because of water depth. It was finally located in 1990, virtually intact, under silt.
During the past decade, Seigler, head of the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Greenville Hospital System, and John Adams Hodge, an aviation and environmental attorney at Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. in Columbia, have dedicated time, energy, and resources to the effort. William (“Bill”) Vartorella, Ph.D., of Camden has helped guide the project. His firm, Craig and Vartorella, Inc, has been involved in exotic projects worldwide in the fields of archaeology, motor sports, and history, to name a few.
The team has continuously sought support in South Carolina and the region from philanthropic foundations, state legislators, museum and airport officials, and corporations as they searched for a permanent site to house the vintage plane. However, no SC venues were prepared to preserve such an aircraft in an indoor setting that met the need for painstaking restoration and ongoing public interpretation.
With a commitment to keeping the airplane in the South, Seigler's nonprofit, Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project (501-c-3), has found an appropriate home for the airplane at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, Alabama. There, the plane will be restored, conserved, and displayed in its public museum. Hodge, an attorney, registered geologist and airline pilot, and Seigler and Vartorella have collaborated with South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G), the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, the U.S. military, historians and numerous others to prepare for the final stages of this quest.
The upcoming retrieval has not been announced previously due to curiosity-seekers who might disturb the plane’s safe resting area. The skill of the pilot and crew prevented the aircraft’s loss of life. One of the crewmen who escaped is still alive and lives on the West Coast. Due to his health, he may not be able to attend; however, his nephew will attend to represent the family.
Hodge said, “This is about preserving our history and heritage. The aircraft is WWII authentic as it has only been seen by a handful of people since it sank more than 60 years ago. It is in incredibly good shape. Dr. Seigler has expended countless hours and dollars to preserve our history and I hope that South Carolinians will assist him in this noble project.”
According to Vartorella, donations and in-kind contributions to help defray the estimated retrieval costs of $150,000 are appreciated. "We've had some excellent past support from the Arcadia Foundation and companies such as Boozer Lumber have stepped up recently, as well as anonymous individual donors," he said. "This project is likely to get global coverage and this is an excellent opportunity for companies and individuals to let the world know that South Carolina is committed to its heritage and, frankly, is a great place to live and do business."
For additional information, contact the Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project, 106 Highland Drive, Greenville, SC 29605. The media can contact Bill Vartorella at (803) 432-4353.
Saludos,
Tulio
Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:53 am
Apparently there's more in that lake as a previous thread explains.
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... highlight=
regards,
t~
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... highlight=
regards,
t~
Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:26 am
It sure would be nice to have a survey done to see what types exactly and how many aircraft are down there in lake murray. Might turn out to be the next Lake Michigan. Anyone got a Yellow Submarine? 
Shay
Shay
Fri Sep 09, 2005 10:50 am
Don't give the NHC any ideas!! 
Fri Sep 09, 2005 11:30 am
The warbird registry shows only 5 listed B-25 C models, so this will be a rare find when recovered.
Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:48 pm
Dan K
Lake Murray is land Locked and my understanding is, from talking with Col. Rohr, that the NHC has no ability to claim Non-Navy artifacts that reside in fresh water with no access to the seas.
Shay
Lake Murray is land Locked and my understanding is, from talking with Col. Rohr, that the NHC has no ability to claim Non-Navy artifacts that reside in fresh water with no access to the seas.
Shay
Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:03 pm
Rob, does this mean that when the St Lawrence Seaway ices up and there is no access to the open sea that Navy control over the Lake Michigan aircraft ceases ?
Sat Sep 10, 2005 12:17 am
boozer lumber?? a name like that doesn't instill much confidence 
Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:37 pm
Well it's Saturday Sept 10. Sure must be exciting times to be down in Columbia SC. right now. I hope we see pictures here soon.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Sat Sep 10, 2005 7:13 pm
Ohh man, I can't wait!!!!
Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:20 pm
Just a lil update of sorts.
From WIStv.com in Columbia, SC
(Lexington) Sept. 13, 2005 - About two miles from the Lake Murray dam, an effort is underway to raise an airplane that crashed over 60 years ago during a training run.
Dr. Robert Siegler is the expedition leader, "It's rough. There are white caps on the lake. The wind is noticeably stronger than it was yesterday."
Not an optimum day to lift a World War II vintange bomber from the depths of Lake Murray, but as Bob Siegler looks at the barge and divers prepare to do the job, he knows nothing about this project is ideal, "Sixty-year-old airplane that has crashed, we don't know for sure what condition it's in, there's a possibility that when we lift it, it could come apart and go back to the bottom."
The bottom is 150 feet down, with next to zero visibilty.
According to local lore, as many as 22 of the planes crashed into Lake Murray. Siegler says the number is more like five, "Of the five B-25 crashes, three involved deaths, two involved no injuries at all."
The plane the team is currently trying to retrieve was one that crashed with no fatalities, "We know the name, ranks and serial numbers of all five who survived the crash. One of those men is still alive."
It's not the first B-25 pulled out of South Carolina waters. Another was recovered over 40 years ago from Lake Greenwood.
Dr. Seigler says that they made some suprising discoveries on that plane, "When they pulled it out of the the water, it still had coffee in the thermos. I wouldn't want to drink it."
It's currently in a hanger at Columbia's Owens Field.
There are a lot of factors that come into play when it comes to pulling an airplane out of the water. One of them is the weather.
So when can you expect to see the B-25? Crews hope sometime with in the next couple of days.
Siegler started this project when he was in his early 30's, and he's almost 50 now, "It's been a long project and I'm really hoping to see it come to a successful conclusion."
But according to the historian, only time will tell.
________________________________
can't wait to catch a glimpse of her.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
From WIStv.com in Columbia, SC
(Lexington) Sept. 13, 2005 - About two miles from the Lake Murray dam, an effort is underway to raise an airplane that crashed over 60 years ago during a training run.
Dr. Robert Siegler is the expedition leader, "It's rough. There are white caps on the lake. The wind is noticeably stronger than it was yesterday."
Not an optimum day to lift a World War II vintange bomber from the depths of Lake Murray, but as Bob Siegler looks at the barge and divers prepare to do the job, he knows nothing about this project is ideal, "Sixty-year-old airplane that has crashed, we don't know for sure what condition it's in, there's a possibility that when we lift it, it could come apart and go back to the bottom."
The bottom is 150 feet down, with next to zero visibilty.
According to local lore, as many as 22 of the planes crashed into Lake Murray. Siegler says the number is more like five, "Of the five B-25 crashes, three involved deaths, two involved no injuries at all."
The plane the team is currently trying to retrieve was one that crashed with no fatalities, "We know the name, ranks and serial numbers of all five who survived the crash. One of those men is still alive."
It's not the first B-25 pulled out of South Carolina waters. Another was recovered over 40 years ago from Lake Greenwood.
Dr. Seigler says that they made some suprising discoveries on that plane, "When they pulled it out of the the water, it still had coffee in the thermos. I wouldn't want to drink it."
It's currently in a hanger at Columbia's Owens Field.
There are a lot of factors that come into play when it comes to pulling an airplane out of the water. One of them is the weather.
So when can you expect to see the B-25? Crews hope sometime with in the next couple of days.
Siegler started this project when he was in his early 30's, and he's almost 50 now, "It's been a long project and I'm really hoping to see it come to a successful conclusion."
But according to the historian, only time will tell.
________________________________
can't wait to catch a glimpse of her.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
Tue Sep 13, 2005 7:35 pm
i like a good strong cup of coffee, hope it's black!! more than likely green! though!! 
this is the kind of stuff that intrigues me on wreck chasing!! ok, it's coffee... but to think it's been sealed for 60 odd years in a thermos & intact sans mold spores is fascinating!!! look what they found on the b-24 lady be good, titanic etc. it makes you think!! can anybody relate some weird or cool stuff found on wrecks?? i would think some great posts will follow after this question!!! 
regards, tom
hope it's black!! more than likely green! though!! this is the kind of stuff that intrigues me on wreck chasing!! ok, it's coffee... but to think it's been sealed for 60 odd years in a thermos & intact sans mold spores is fascinating!!! look what they found on the b-24 lady be good, titanic etc. it makes you think!! can anybody relate some weird or cool stuff found on wrecks?? i would think some great posts will follow after this question!!! regards, tom
Ophelia
Tue Sep 13, 2005 8:52 pm
I hope Ophelia doesn't screw-up their little lift party!
Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:03 am
Serial Number??
Who's the owner?
Where's the other one that was recovered?
Who's the owner?
Where's the other one that was recovered?
Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:14 am
Wolerine
B-25C serial number 41-12634
This one so far as i know is going to a museum in Alabama under the wishes of the project coordinator that it be restored and never flown.
the other that was recovered from Lake Greenwood in 1983 is at Owens field.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis
B-25C serial number 41-12634
This one so far as i know is going to a museum in Alabama under the wishes of the project coordinator that it be restored and never flown.
the other that was recovered from Lake Greenwood in 1983 is at Owens field.
Shay
____________
Semper Fortis