[djjeffhall]

HWorth18,
I surmise that getting something up from the bottom is not as easy as getting off land. Even remote jungle areas are going to be easier to work in than under water at 200 feet. Plus, there is also that excessive money thing. No matter how much these warbirds go for once restored, it will not be fraction of the cost of just getting them up in the first place.

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by djjeffhall

HWorth18,
I surmise that getting something up from the bottom is not as easy as getting off land. Even remote jungle areas are going to be easier to work in than under water at 200 feet. Plus, there is also that excessive money thing. No matter how much these warbirds go for once restored, it will not be fraction of the cost of just getting them up in the first place.

True, you have to consider the cost, but museums fund archeological projects all the time and some of these relics are sitting in as little as 30 feet of water.. I would imagine that this will be a bigger issue 100 years from now when many of the still flying warbirds have been lost or consigned to private collections, and like the civil war, many of these sites are turned into digs to recover anything that is left for future generations. I am just surprised that some of these "big time" oceanic explorers haven't begun some type of recovery while these relics are still somewhat intact and not buried under 6ft of silt.

[slammin]

This doesn't specifically cover aluminum structures, but gives an idea of what is required to preserve metal artifacts that have been in salt water.


http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Preservation.htm

[Captain Eddie]

Cool pics, Phantom, thanks for sharing them. And slammin, based upon that article you posted, it appears trying to salvage them could be a real problem, unfortunately.

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by slammin

This doesn't specifically cover aluminum structures, but gives an idea of what is required to preserve metal artifacts that have been in salt water.


http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Preservation.htm

I wonder how saltwater affects aluminum since it is not a naturally occuring metal??

[Cruver Collecter]

Originally Posted by Captain Eddie

Cool pics, Phantom, thanks for sharing them. And slammin, based upon that article you posted, it appears trying to salvage them could be a real problem, unfortunately.

Real triumph would just being able to get in there to see these wrecks. Best you could hope for is to fly in to Kwaj, sit in the plane on the ramp, and then fly off. Aluminum does have a tendancy to corrode after extended exposure to salt water. If plane is in shallow water you then have to consider all the fun stuff that made it their home.

[Hornchurch]

Originally Posted by Phantom Phan1200

Fallen warriors of the pacific still remain.

http://www.largescaleplanes.com/arti...ckdiving2.html

Thanks for posting Phantom Phan.........!

That short-nosed B.25 looks superb

Some of the B.25's in "preservation" haven't fared to well over the years - the U.K.'s "Bedsheet-Bomber", which was displayed at Southend - (then, when the museum closed) - ended up derelict, at North Weald, is one example

They should be treasured as priceless !

[Tundra04]

One thing I've always heard is that the US Navy doesn't give out salvage rights...Basically, it's theirs until it turns to dust. That's probably one reason you don't see many Naval aircraft being recovered by private parties. Why spend the money if you don't get to keep it? For those of you interested in the details, here they are:

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-7h.htm

Now, the Army Air Corps/Air Force, if you want to spend the money to recover it, it's yours i.e. "Glacier Girl."

[hworth18]

Originally Posted by Tundra04

One thing I've always heard is that the US Navy doesn't give out salvage rights...Basically, it's theirs until it turns to dust. That's probably one reason you don't see many Naval aircraft being recovered by private parties. Why spend the money if you don't get to keep it? For those of you interested in the details, here they are:

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-7h.htm

Now, the Army Air Corps/Air Force, if you want to spend the money to recover it, it's yours i.e. "Glacier Girl."

Thanks.. This pretty much explains it..

[Phantom Phan1200]

From what I seen in the warbird restoration community anything sitting in salt water for that long is is pretty much a goner & not fit for restoration of any type even static display.
A side from the corrosion most of the these wrecks are covered in coral & sea other life, to remove it if at all possible, would be a task in itself.

Fresh water wrecks are another story, there are a few aircraft that have been pulled from fresh water & restored.
One of which is the F4F Wildcat we have down here at the Tyco Warbird Museum in Titusville Fl.
This aircraft was lost during carrier training on the great lakes, the cold fresh water kept the corrosion to a minimum.
Here are pics I shot of the bird when I was there a while back.