B-24 Liberator Wreck discovered off Northern Palawan
Mar 1, 2019 18:37:56 GMT 8
EXO, chadhill, and 2 more like this
Post by snake on Mar 1, 2019 18:37:56 GMT 8
THIS THREAD DATES FROM 2019. SINCE THEN, THERE HAVE BEEN DEVELOPMENTS - FRESH INFORMATION HAS BEEN POSTED IN AUGUST 2023 BY SNAKE ON THE RAAF FORUM, DEFENCETALK.COM
FOR UPDATES, GO TO:
www.defencetalk.com/military/forums/t/could-this-b-24-liberator-found-in-the-philippines-be-the-missing-raaf-aircraft-a72-191.14907/
Last August we discovered an aircraft wreck off the coast of Northern Palawan at a depth of 56 meters using side scan sonar. We believe it to be either a USAAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator Heavy Bomber, or a PB4Y-1, a re-designated version of the B-24 used by the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
But first, some history on heavy bombers in the Philippines:
By early November 1941, in an effort to defend key strategic points in East Asia against purported Japanese aggression, the United States Army Air Corps had succeeded in transferring a force of thirty five B-17 Flying Fortress Heavy Bombers from Hamilton Field, California, via Hickham Field, Hawaii, to Clark Field in the Philippines. The 19th Bombardment Group was chosen to undertake this complex movement of aircraft and ground staff. The 19th consisted of the 14th, 28th, 30th and 93rd Bombardment Squadrons.
When reports of Japanese activity in the skies increased in the weeks prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Eubank, Commander of the 19th BG, ordered two of the Group’s squadrons, the 14th and 93rd with 16 B-17s, to Del Monte Field, Mindanao, while the other two groups remained at Clark. Arriving at their destination early on December 6, this transfer would ultimately save the aircraft and many lives.
At 12:35 p.m. on December 8 local time, Japanese bombers and fighter aircraft attacked Clark Field catching all but one of the B-17s on the ground, all were destroyed reducing the group's strength from 35 to 17 in a single blow.
The remaining B-17s at Del Monte did make a valiant attempt to destroy the Japanese invasion fleets but by mid month it was decided to withdraw the surviving aircraft to Darwin, Australia. Between 17-21 December, fourteen of the group's B-17s reached the relative safety of Batchelor Field and the 19th BG continued to attack Japanese ground forces and shipping from there.
In 1942, the 43rd Bomb Group had joined the 19th in Australia which was already worn out. Now under the command of General George Churchill Kenney, flying B-17s out of bases in Northern Queensland and Darwin, the B-17 proved not entirely suitable for the war in the Pacific and Kenney chose the B-24 as the heavy bomber for his theater which was faster, had a greater range and heavier bomb load capability. Beginning in the spring of 1943, the 43rd Bomb Group replaced its B-17s with B-24Ds, ending the combat career of the Flying Fortress in the Pacific.
Just as the 43rd began converting to the Liberator, the 380th Bomb Group (Heavy) arrived in Australia and began combat operations with B-24s. Operating from Darwin, the men of the 380th utilized the long-range capabilities of their Liberators by flying a mission to attack the oil-refining complex at Balikpapan, Borneo, a flight that kept the crews in the air for as long as 17 hours. By the start of 1945 the 380th and 90th Bomb Groups had moved onto Mindoro in the Philippines.
The wreck could also be a Navy PB4Y-1, which at this time were based at San Jose as well, but there are parts missing such as all four engines, the nose turret and the tail section which has been torn off behind the wing. We haven't found any evidence so far that it was shot down, although it could have been, or suffered an explosion, but to me it appears that it has come apart in the air as it fell from a height, scattering pieces over a wide area. We've picked up what could be other pieces on the side scan but haven't examined them yet. There are rock outcrops here and there and because of the depth and visibility it's a bit risky and time consuming to drop in on all the spots. We have recently acquired a proton magnetometer which can detect metal on or under the sea floor so it should make the job a bit easier next time we’re down there.
Because it's not all there and is a bit of a mess after hitting the water hard, it's proving difficult to determine which plane it is. I've done hours of research, have been in touch with a couple of WWII historians in Australia and have come up with some possibilities. One that does stand out a bit from the others is a late model aircraft, B-24L-15-FO, Bureau No 44-49860 ‘DADDY OF 'EM ALL’. This plane, belonging to the 380th bomb Group, 528th Bomb Squadron, ran out of fuel returning to Murtha Strip at San Jose, Mindoro, from a bombing raid over Balikpapan on July 1, 1945 (The Battle of Balikpapan). The 10 crew bailed out safely over the Sulu Sea and were rescued after one and a half hours in the water by a USN PBY Catalina. Although some bombers had been known to fly level on auto pilot and actually land themselves without severe damage after the crew had bailed out and running out of fuel, I think this one could have dropped a wing and fallen from the sky, breaking up on the way down. This is my theory at the moment anyway. The site is at the northern extremity of the Sulu Sea and a flight path from Balikpapan to San Jose isn't far away. I also think it’s a late model B-24 (J, L or M). In the photo of the cockpit controls below, two of the engine throttle levers are still there, numbers three and four. To the left of them (below in the picture) is a square box section, the General Electric Turbo Boost Selector was fitted here. A significant modification after April 1944 was the introduction of the improved electrically controlled GE B-22 type turbocharger which gave higher performance at altitude and operated the four turbos simultaneously. Prior to this, they were controlled manually by four levers situated here which operated the hydraulic waste gate valves individually. To the right of the throttles were four mixture control levers.
Of course we won’t know with certainty which aircraft it is until we find more of it, determine the model and gather additional information. The US Embassy in Manila has been informed and they are taking an interest so I’m confident we’ll have a positive ID on it sometime this year.
FOR UPDATES, GO TO:
www.defencetalk.com/military/forums/t/could-this-b-24-liberator-found-in-the-philippines-be-the-missing-raaf-aircraft-a72-191.14907/
Last August we discovered an aircraft wreck off the coast of Northern Palawan at a depth of 56 meters using side scan sonar. We believe it to be either a USAAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator Heavy Bomber, or a PB4Y-1, a re-designated version of the B-24 used by the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
But first, some history on heavy bombers in the Philippines:
By early November 1941, in an effort to defend key strategic points in East Asia against purported Japanese aggression, the United States Army Air Corps had succeeded in transferring a force of thirty five B-17 Flying Fortress Heavy Bombers from Hamilton Field, California, via Hickham Field, Hawaii, to Clark Field in the Philippines. The 19th Bombardment Group was chosen to undertake this complex movement of aircraft and ground staff. The 19th consisted of the 14th, 28th, 30th and 93rd Bombardment Squadrons.
When reports of Japanese activity in the skies increased in the weeks prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Eubank, Commander of the 19th BG, ordered two of the Group’s squadrons, the 14th and 93rd with 16 B-17s, to Del Monte Field, Mindanao, while the other two groups remained at Clark. Arriving at their destination early on December 6, this transfer would ultimately save the aircraft and many lives.
At 12:35 p.m. on December 8 local time, Japanese bombers and fighter aircraft attacked Clark Field catching all but one of the B-17s on the ground, all were destroyed reducing the group's strength from 35 to 17 in a single blow.
The remaining B-17s at Del Monte did make a valiant attempt to destroy the Japanese invasion fleets but by mid month it was decided to withdraw the surviving aircraft to Darwin, Australia. Between 17-21 December, fourteen of the group's B-17s reached the relative safety of Batchelor Field and the 19th BG continued to attack Japanese ground forces and shipping from there.
In 1942, the 43rd Bomb Group had joined the 19th in Australia which was already worn out. Now under the command of General George Churchill Kenney, flying B-17s out of bases in Northern Queensland and Darwin, the B-17 proved not entirely suitable for the war in the Pacific and Kenney chose the B-24 as the heavy bomber for his theater which was faster, had a greater range and heavier bomb load capability. Beginning in the spring of 1943, the 43rd Bomb Group replaced its B-17s with B-24Ds, ending the combat career of the Flying Fortress in the Pacific.
Just as the 43rd began converting to the Liberator, the 380th Bomb Group (Heavy) arrived in Australia and began combat operations with B-24s. Operating from Darwin, the men of the 380th utilized the long-range capabilities of their Liberators by flying a mission to attack the oil-refining complex at Balikpapan, Borneo, a flight that kept the crews in the air for as long as 17 hours. By the start of 1945 the 380th and 90th Bomb Groups had moved onto Mindoro in the Philippines.
The wreck could also be a Navy PB4Y-1, which at this time were based at San Jose as well, but there are parts missing such as all four engines, the nose turret and the tail section which has been torn off behind the wing. We haven't found any evidence so far that it was shot down, although it could have been, or suffered an explosion, but to me it appears that it has come apart in the air as it fell from a height, scattering pieces over a wide area. We've picked up what could be other pieces on the side scan but haven't examined them yet. There are rock outcrops here and there and because of the depth and visibility it's a bit risky and time consuming to drop in on all the spots. We have recently acquired a proton magnetometer which can detect metal on or under the sea floor so it should make the job a bit easier next time we’re down there.
Because it's not all there and is a bit of a mess after hitting the water hard, it's proving difficult to determine which plane it is. I've done hours of research, have been in touch with a couple of WWII historians in Australia and have come up with some possibilities. One that does stand out a bit from the others is a late model aircraft, B-24L-15-FO, Bureau No 44-49860 ‘DADDY OF 'EM ALL’. This plane, belonging to the 380th bomb Group, 528th Bomb Squadron, ran out of fuel returning to Murtha Strip at San Jose, Mindoro, from a bombing raid over Balikpapan on July 1, 1945 (The Battle of Balikpapan). The 10 crew bailed out safely over the Sulu Sea and were rescued after one and a half hours in the water by a USN PBY Catalina. Although some bombers had been known to fly level on auto pilot and actually land themselves without severe damage after the crew had bailed out and running out of fuel, I think this one could have dropped a wing and fallen from the sky, breaking up on the way down. This is my theory at the moment anyway. The site is at the northern extremity of the Sulu Sea and a flight path from Balikpapan to San Jose isn't far away. I also think it’s a late model B-24 (J, L or M). In the photo of the cockpit controls below, two of the engine throttle levers are still there, numbers three and four. To the left of them (below in the picture) is a square box section, the General Electric Turbo Boost Selector was fitted here. A significant modification after April 1944 was the introduction of the improved electrically controlled GE B-22 type turbocharger which gave higher performance at altitude and operated the four turbos simultaneously. Prior to this, they were controlled manually by four levers situated here which operated the hydraulic waste gate valves individually. To the right of the throttles were four mixture control levers.
Of course we won’t know with certainty which aircraft it is until we find more of it, determine the model and gather additional information. The US Embassy in Manila has been informed and they are taking an interest so I’m confident we’ll have a positive ID on it sometime this year.
Consolidated B-24D Liberators in formation.
Martin 250CE upper turret.
The remains of the cockpit, the pilots control wheel is behind the large piece of debris at the bottom.
The number 3 engine nacelle.
"DADDY OF 'EM ALL" nose art.
Martin 250CE upper turret.
The remains of the cockpit, the pilots control wheel is behind the large piece of debris at the bottom.
The number 3 engine nacelle.
"DADDY OF 'EM ALL" nose art.
New information has recently come to light indicating that this aircraft could be the RAAF B-24 Liberator, A72-191 from 200 Flight SOA (Special Operations Australia), which went missing on March 25, 1945.
Two Australians, Paul Baker and Tony Gridley, who are looking for the plane on behalf of the families of the missing crew, contacted us and furnished us with these new details after reading about the find on this thread.
A72-191, captained by Squadron Leader Harold ‘Graham’ Pockley, and A72-159, captained by Flight Lieutenant F. J. Ball, both late model B-24M-10-CO aircraft, were on a top secret mission, Semut 1, to drop commandos and supplies from Z Special Unit behind enemy lines in Central Borneo. The commandos were led by Major Tom Harrison who became known as ‘The Barefoot Anthropologist’ for his exploits in Borneo.
At approximately 0230 hours on the morning of March 25, both planes took off from McGuire Field at San Jose, Mindoro, on a third attempt to carry out the mission which had previously been abandoned on the 21st and 22nd due to bad weather.
With the mission completed, both aircraft returned to Brunei Bay before parting company in cloud for the independent return flight to Mindoro. Although there had been clouds in the valleys between the mountains on Borneo, the weather over the ocean was clear and Ball's crew landed back at McGuire at 1235 hours. Nothing, however, was heard of Pockley's crew of eleven and one jumpmaster ever again.
The last sighting of A72-191 was made by a US Navy PB4Y Liberator about eight kilometers north of Kota Kinabalu at 0915 and both aircraft had rocked wings in mutual recognition.
The following day a search was conducted by A72-159 and A72-192 as far south as Brunei Bay but there were no sightings of 191. The crew of 192 did report seeing three “long streaks of oil” in the vicinity of Balambangan Island just off Borneo's northwest coast, but I believe this oil most likely came from the Japanese oil tanker Nisshin Maru which was sunk by Submarine USS Crevalle (SS-291) on May 6, 1944 in this location.
Another search was made on the 27th without success and after the war the RAAF vigorously set about trying to establish the fate of all its missing aircrews. Despite postwar interrogations of Japanese personnel, investigation of Japanese documents and extensive searches of Borneo and nearby islands, including investigating wreckage reports from natives, nothing further was ever heard of A72-191.
I think there's a good chance that the wreck is this RAAF B-24. It’s thought that as there was no distress signal from the plane that whatever happened to it was catastrophic. The wreck has also suffered from a catastrophic event of some kind and it's a late model B-24. The wreck site is also not far from a direct flight path from northwest Borneo to McGuire Field, closer than ‘DADDY OF 'EM ALL’s mission flight path.
I’m sure that if we can find the tail section, we’ll be able to determine if it’s this aircraft or not as these were the only B-24’s to be modified for parachute drops.
We’re hoping to make the search for it using recently acquired multi beam sonar towards the end of the year once the South West Monsoon is over.
Two Australians, Paul Baker and Tony Gridley, who are looking for the plane on behalf of the families of the missing crew, contacted us and furnished us with these new details after reading about the find on this thread.
A72-191, captained by Squadron Leader Harold ‘Graham’ Pockley, and A72-159, captained by Flight Lieutenant F. J. Ball, both late model B-24M-10-CO aircraft, were on a top secret mission, Semut 1, to drop commandos and supplies from Z Special Unit behind enemy lines in Central Borneo. The commandos were led by Major Tom Harrison who became known as ‘The Barefoot Anthropologist’ for his exploits in Borneo.
At approximately 0230 hours on the morning of March 25, both planes took off from McGuire Field at San Jose, Mindoro, on a third attempt to carry out the mission which had previously been abandoned on the 21st and 22nd due to bad weather.
With the mission completed, both aircraft returned to Brunei Bay before parting company in cloud for the independent return flight to Mindoro. Although there had been clouds in the valleys between the mountains on Borneo, the weather over the ocean was clear and Ball's crew landed back at McGuire at 1235 hours. Nothing, however, was heard of Pockley's crew of eleven and one jumpmaster ever again.
The last sighting of A72-191 was made by a US Navy PB4Y Liberator about eight kilometers north of Kota Kinabalu at 0915 and both aircraft had rocked wings in mutual recognition.
The following day a search was conducted by A72-159 and A72-192 as far south as Brunei Bay but there were no sightings of 191. The crew of 192 did report seeing three “long streaks of oil” in the vicinity of Balambangan Island just off Borneo's northwest coast, but I believe this oil most likely came from the Japanese oil tanker Nisshin Maru which was sunk by Submarine USS Crevalle (SS-291) on May 6, 1944 in this location.
Another search was made on the 27th without success and after the war the RAAF vigorously set about trying to establish the fate of all its missing aircrews. Despite postwar interrogations of Japanese personnel, investigation of Japanese documents and extensive searches of Borneo and nearby islands, including investigating wreckage reports from natives, nothing further was ever heard of A72-191.
I think there's a good chance that the wreck is this RAAF B-24. It’s thought that as there was no distress signal from the plane that whatever happened to it was catastrophic. The wreck has also suffered from a catastrophic event of some kind and it's a late model B-24. The wreck site is also not far from a direct flight path from northwest Borneo to McGuire Field, closer than ‘DADDY OF 'EM ALL’s mission flight path.
I’m sure that if we can find the tail section, we’ll be able to determine if it’s this aircraft or not as these were the only B-24’s to be modified for parachute drops.
We’re hoping to make the search for it using recently acquired multi beam sonar towards the end of the year once the South West Monsoon is over.