April 29, 2009.
Sixty-four years ago, a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber crashed into the lake on a training mission and ended up 100 feet down.
It has now been found and pulled out and will be restored at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida and will be put on display at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Money for its recovery and restoration came from an anonymous donor.
This is the third Dauntless dive bomber recovered by the museum from Lake Michigan in the last several years. Much naval aviation training took place in Lake Michigan, far from the enemy submarines that might sink aircraft carriers.
It was covered with algae and zebra mussels when brought up. Its wings and propeller was twisted from the crash.
Always Good to Recover Something Like This. --GreGen
My Cooter's History Blog has become about 80% World War II anyway, so I figured to start a blog specific to it, especially since we're commemorating its 70th anniversary and we are quickly losing this "Greatest Generation." The quote is taken from Pearl Harbor survivor Frank Curre, who was on the USS Tennessee that day. He died Dec. 7, 2011, seventy years to the day. His photo is below at right.
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