Nakajima Ki-43 Fighter Wreck – Recent Discovery Near Coron
May 23, 2016 16:03:42 GMT 8
EXO, Karl Welteke, and 3 more like this
Post by snake on May 23, 2016 16:03:42 GMT 8
This aircraft is a late model Nakajima Ki-43-IIb Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon), Allied code name "Oscar", which was used by the Japanese Army Air Force during WWII.
It was found by Sea Scan Survey on the 29th of March, more or less by accident, while scanning for a shipwreck off Basuanga. It was unknown to anyone in the area including the local fishermen.
It would appear that the pilot has made a forced landing due to engine failure rather than being shot down. The propeller blade is straight, therefore the engine would have been stopped at the time, and the only visible damage sustained on impact is the inboard leading edges of the wings have been pealed back exposing the undercarriage.
There are a number of sake bottles behind the seat so it seems that the pilot would have liked to have a drink or two while on patrol, and probably a few more before crashing his plane into an enemy ship!
The cockpit canopy is in the retracted position so the pilot obviously survived the ditching but whether or not he made it to shore and evaded capture by the Filipino Guerrillas is another story.
The flight controls, such as the ailerons, elevators and most of the rudder were fabric covered and have long since disappeared and seventy plus years underwater has also taken its toll. The instrument panel has disintegrated and there is much corrosion around the airframe but it’s in a reasonable condition for a WWII plane wreck.
Efforts are underway to try and track down its history but this won't be easy without the serial number. If the data plate can be located on the airframe there may be a chance but we are not sure where to look at this stage. If anyone can help, please reply.
The Oscar was a land-based Type 1 tactical fighter which was often called the “Army Zero” by Allied pilots for its resemblance to the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, which was flown by the Japanese Navy. During the first year of the war, it was often mistaken for the Zero in dogfights.
Like its Navy counterpart it was light and easy to fly but had several drawbacks such as no armor or self sealing fuel tanks which caused high casualties in combat, and it was also undergunned. These faults were not rectified until later versions but nevertheless the Ki-43 was highly maneuverable due to the introduction of combat flaps and shot down more Allied aircraft than any other Japanese fighter. Almost all the JAAF's aces achieved most of there kills in it.
Total production amounted to 5,919 between 1939 and 1945 with many of these used during the last months of the war in kamikaze raids against the American fleet.
There are very few survivors including only one airworthy example in Oregon and one capable of flight in Washington.
It was found by Sea Scan Survey on the 29th of March, more or less by accident, while scanning for a shipwreck off Basuanga. It was unknown to anyone in the area including the local fishermen.
It would appear that the pilot has made a forced landing due to engine failure rather than being shot down. The propeller blade is straight, therefore the engine would have been stopped at the time, and the only visible damage sustained on impact is the inboard leading edges of the wings have been pealed back exposing the undercarriage.
There are a number of sake bottles behind the seat so it seems that the pilot would have liked to have a drink or two while on patrol, and probably a few more before crashing his plane into an enemy ship!
The cockpit canopy is in the retracted position so the pilot obviously survived the ditching but whether or not he made it to shore and evaded capture by the Filipino Guerrillas is another story.
The flight controls, such as the ailerons, elevators and most of the rudder were fabric covered and have long since disappeared and seventy plus years underwater has also taken its toll. The instrument panel has disintegrated and there is much corrosion around the airframe but it’s in a reasonable condition for a WWII plane wreck.
Efforts are underway to try and track down its history but this won't be easy without the serial number. If the data plate can be located on the airframe there may be a chance but we are not sure where to look at this stage. If anyone can help, please reply.
The Oscar was a land-based Type 1 tactical fighter which was often called the “Army Zero” by Allied pilots for its resemblance to the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, which was flown by the Japanese Navy. During the first year of the war, it was often mistaken for the Zero in dogfights.
Like its Navy counterpart it was light and easy to fly but had several drawbacks such as no armor or self sealing fuel tanks which caused high casualties in combat, and it was also undergunned. These faults were not rectified until later versions but nevertheless the Ki-43 was highly maneuverable due to the introduction of combat flaps and shot down more Allied aircraft than any other Japanese fighter. Almost all the JAAF's aces achieved most of there kills in it.
Total production amounted to 5,919 between 1939 and 1945 with many of these used during the last months of the war in kamikaze raids against the American fleet.
There are very few survivors including only one airworthy example in Oregon and one capable of flight in Washington.
Nakajima Ki-43-IIb
This image is copyright, used by permission of the owner.
Since finding the aircraft in 2016, we’ve had a good look over it but unfortunately haven’t found anything positive in relation to its identity.
I’ve scraped both sides of the vertical stabilizer (tail fin) looking for squadron insignia, examined the airframe and engine for evidence of bullet damage and I’ve also removed the instruments and gauges from the cockpit floor through the side in search of data plates and then put everything back in. I only found two electrical plates and one instructional plate, all corroded, but no airframe data plate. We’ve also had a couple of people in Japan looking through records but nothing has been found there either. I’m quite sure now that this aircraft and it’s pilot are going to remain a mystery.
I mentioned earlier that there were sake bottles behind the seat but this was incorrect, they’re pharmaceutical bottles. There are two sizes, the smaller one has the brand name Wakamoto embossed on it and the larger one just has 200 on the base. The Wakamoto Pharmaceutical Company made gastrointestinal supplements infused with vitamin B. As there’s no vitamin B in rice, which was the staple diet of the Japanese armed forces, it was necessary to take it to prevent beriberi (Kak'ke), and a pilot would want his digestive system in good order when making long flights.
The larger one I believe contained crystal meth (Shabu). Methamphetamine was first produced by a Japanese chemist in 1893 and a Japanese pharmacologist created crystal meth from it in 1919, but it was not widely used until the outbreak of WWII. Under the brand name Philopon, anyone who needed to stave off hunger and stay awake was on it, which of course meant everyone including factory workers, soldiers and pilots. Post war it became a real problem when a surplus of Philopon was sold cheap to the public. Axis and Allied forces also used their fare share of meth during WWII.
What puzzles me a bit is that we’ve counted about fifteen to twenty of them behind the seat and in the cockpit, but there are probably more buried in the silt. Why so many?
I mentioned earlier that there were sake bottles behind the seat but this was incorrect, they’re pharmaceutical bottles. There are two sizes, the smaller one has the brand name Wakamoto embossed on it and the larger one just has 200 on the base. The Wakamoto Pharmaceutical Company made gastrointestinal supplements infused with vitamin B. As there’s no vitamin B in rice, which was the staple diet of the Japanese armed forces, it was necessary to take it to prevent beriberi (Kak'ke), and a pilot would want his digestive system in good order when making long flights.
The larger one I believe contained crystal meth (Shabu). Methamphetamine was first produced by a Japanese chemist in 1893 and a Japanese pharmacologist created crystal meth from it in 1919, but it was not widely used until the outbreak of WWII. Under the brand name Philopon, anyone who needed to stave off hunger and stay awake was on it, which of course meant everyone including factory workers, soldiers and pilots. Post war it became a real problem when a surplus of Philopon was sold cheap to the public. Axis and Allied forces also used their fare share of meth during WWII.
What puzzles me a bit is that we’ve counted about fifteen to twenty of them behind the seat and in the cockpit, but there are probably more buried in the silt. Why so many?
I did find that the starboard machine gun feeder has a hole in it from corrosion and that it’s empty, so our pilot has expended all his ammunition somewhere.
The propeller is a Sumitomo/Hamilton, 3 bladed, constant speed, counterweight type which were not capable of feathering (streamlining the blades to the airflow) as seen in the video. When oil pressure is lost on a feathering type, the blades can be put into feather to stop the propeller from windmilling and creating drag or doing more damage to an already damaged engine on a multi engine aircraft. If it was windmilling or the engine was running when the aircraft hit the water, then that exposed blade would be bent. I’m sure the two buried ones are so I don’t think running out of fuel is an option here.
The only presumption I can come up with on this one is that the aircraft belonged to the 71st sentai (flying regiment) based at Puerto Princesa to the south, which was an “Oscar” regiment, and that it was returning there from one of the northern bases (Clark or Manila) and was taking a supply of these bottles with it. Carrying this many wouldn’t be normal practice when going on a mission to attack allied shipping or anything else for that matter. On the way there the pilot has perhaps been court up in a dog fight and the engine has taken a bullet, which has eventually caused it to seize, and he’s been forced to ditch. The location of the wreck fits this scenario.
I’ll have a closer look over the engine next time we’re there.