F4U-Corsair off Jacksonville

[diverjed]

Any local Jax divers know the history of the WWII era Corsair plane in approximately 100ft of water, about 30-35 miles out, near the BR?

The boat owner I was with had the numbers, dropped us down.

By itself, not very big, laying upright, the propeller standing upright in front of the plane, like a sign post.

Excercise crash, slipped off the carrier....intentionally sunk??

Any infor helpful.

 

[DavidPT40]

The Corsair was used from 1942 to around 1953. That, along with its very poor safety record, might make it hard to pinpoint the history of this particular plane.

 

[100days-a-year]

Contact Jacksonville Reef Research Team www.jaxrrt.org They may have some idea.There are quite a few planes lost off Jax and St.Augustine as they have been a part of Naval Aviation since before WW2.There are at least 5 more just within 5miles of that one.They rarely get dove by anyone other than spearfishermen as few divers will spend a whole dive on 1 plane.

 

[diverjed]

Contact Jacksonville Reef Research Team www.jaxrrt.org They may have some idea.There are quite a few planes lost off Jax and St.Augustine as they have been a part of Naval Aviation since before WW2.There are at least 5 more just within 5miles of that one.They rarely get dove by anyone other than spearfishermen as few divers will spend a whole dive on 1 plane.

Thanks, I've heard of them. I'll do that.

(diving & rock & roll - or vice-versa - hand in hand)

 

[RikRaeder]

If you can get any numbers off of any part of the plane, that would help. Sounds tough after 50 or so years underwater, but you never know. Also, doing a little research into various Corsair models might help you type the plane specifically and knock a few years off of your search. Many squadrons have active webpages that sometimes tell deployment and equipment information.
You might contact the local NASs (they should have a base historian) for leads to tracking the numbers to the planes to the last reports regarding the planes. I'd imagine you'll probably be filing some applications for info under the Freedom of Information act as well.
Please update this page if you get any hard info. I'd love to hear all about it.

 

[H2Andy]

i know that there is also a Banshee out there, close to the Corsair. both
were purposefully sunk as part of the Blackmar Reef project,
but i have no idea when

a Banshee... neat planes

 

[RikRaeder]

Having studied history in Uni, this thread captured my interest. I've contacted the base historian at Jacksonville NAS regarding this wreck. Here's what he had to say...

F4U advanced fighter training was conducted from NAS Jacksonville throughout most of WWII. Additionally, numerous squadrons flew Corsairs here through the mid-50's......NAS Cecil Field (now closed) also flew the Corsair.

...it would be a difficult crash to research. The Aviation History Branch at the Washington Navy Yard has crash records for the F4U.

Best bet would be for someone to get as much info off of the plane that is available (any markings, data plates, etc.)...any specific information or markings on the plane, even if a tail number is visible or squadron marking is on the side, we can
research it's history...Data plate is usually on the dash someplace. All aircraft have a
unique bureau number, posted on that plate.

The base here sunk barge-loads of aircraft (Wildcats) as we have the photos during WWII. But we do not have the location off-shore. It was stopped when the citizens of Jacksonville complained about the Navy dumping off the coast. Other than
that, all planes out there were not sunk on purpose! And there are lots of aircraft out there. Apparently there is a big PBY seaplane off the coast of St Augustine, as some divers have told me about it. It is sitting upside down in about 130 feet, but again do not know the coordinates.

So it seems that the bureau number is an express ticket to learning all about the plane's history. Of course, the plane has been down for fifty years, but you never know...

I've seen photos of it, and it looks to be intact but covered in sea life. Still, if any numbers are visible on the fuselage, or better yet, some master at bouyancy control could hover over the cockpit without disturbing it and gleen a number from the data plate the wreck's entire history could unfold very quickly. If anyone gets some markings, please PM me with the information, and I'll get in contact with the historian again and post the results here.

Remember, however, that all US Navy wrecks remain the property of the US Navy, so salvage, scraping, and damaging are strictly forbidden. I suppose you could argue about territorial limits, law of the sea, and so forth, but you don't want Homeland Security knocking at your door to take you away do you? (Although I hear the diving off of Guantanamo isn't bad... )