WW2 Airplane Junkyard Update (Point Loma -- 175-230 fsw)

[beldridg]

We have been actively diving the Pt Loma area looking for new wrecks.

One of the "problems" is that there are a lot of WW II era airplanes that were dumped. It is virtually impossible to tell the difference between a "real" wreck and a dumped airplane using sonar and hull based side scan. We don't have an expensive ROV so instead we use a ROBD - Remote Operated Brett Diver. They pull up, drop a downline and send me down with a camera (no surface comms though).

Below is an update on the additional dumped airplanes that we have found. I have also provided GPS locations and a map of them in case anybody else is interested in diving them. The most significant data point is the one airplane that we found very far south of the clump of the others. We don't know the extent of the "junkyard" but it seems BIG.

We have searched and searched but can find no official record of the Navy ditching the airplanes but they are obviously there and they all have pretty much the same characteristics (engine removed, cockpit instrumentation removed, wings & tail clipped).

Airplane Junkyard Part II & III (Pt Loma — 175-230 fsw)

This is an update to a post back in September 2021 about a “WW II Airplane Junkyard” off of Point Loma. As we have been looking for new targets in the south Point Loma area, we are &#82…

wreckedinmyrevo.com

Here is the map of the locations:

Regards,

- brett

 

[broncobowsher]

Cool!

And I bet the water is in the upper 40s as well.

 

[beldridg]

Cool!

And I bet the water is in the upper 40s as well.

The two dives a week ago were 54F on the bottom and 64-65F on the 20' deco stop. Not too bad.

- brett

 

[GDHLEWIS]

Nice work and interesting little mystery you have going on there. Would seem odd to dump the planes as their value in scrap even in post WW2

 

[Bob DBF]

Nice work and interesting little mystery you have going on there. Would seem odd to dump the planes as their value in scrap even in post WW2

Military Airplane Boneyards After WWII

It may be was done prior to the end of the war. Perhaps an aircraft carrier(s) coming home dumping hulks after they were stripped for spares before it would be a bigger pita to account for them on base (I saw similar things happen when in the service). It seems after the war the recycling bases were quite efficient, and one was close to San Diego.

 

[happy-diver]

Wow how's this, fantastic job beldridg.

Reminds me a bit about when Herbie taught me how to dive, with him in the boat
and me with a rope around my waist
as he knew the welcome my mother would give if he dared come back without me

 

[RyanT]

The two dives a week ago were 54F on the bottom and 64-65F on the 20' deco stop. Not too bad.

Just like Palau!

 

[Jared0425]

We don't have an expensive ROV so instead we use a ROBD - Remote Operated Brett Diver. They pull up, drop a downline and send me down with a camera (no surface comms though).

I recommend the BlueRov2. It's saved us on helium for busted up sites. We are diving technical OC, so the costs are worth it for 12K.

 

[beldridg]

I recommend the BlueRov2. It's saved us on helium for busted up sites. We are diving technical OC, so the costs are worth it for 12K.

How does it work when there is current or wind and the vessel you are operating it from doesn't have stabilizers?

I'd love to get a reasonably priced ROV that I know will work from the platforms I dive on that generally don't have stabilizers.

- brett

 

[Jared0425]

How does it work when there is current or wind and the vessel you are operating it from doesn't have stabilizers?

I'd love to get a reasonably priced ROV that I know will work from the platforms I dive on that generally don't have stabilizers.

- brett

We have had some current <1.5 knots and it moves quite well. In water shallower than 150ft a single line has worked well so far. We found a tug earlier this summer in 90ft of water. We will be using the unit on Monday and I'll post here some pictures.

For deeper stuff we have only done one deep dive so far just to shake the unit down. We had a two point mooring system off the bow (port and starboard Danforth anchors) with 500ft of line each on a wreck that's 236' to the mud. I drove the unit straight down to the bottom from the swim platform and used the compass to navigate to within visual range. Then we turned around because we didn't have a diver to retrieve it if we lost it and don't have a developed skill set yet for deep stuff. By next year we are hoping to be good enough to replace some diver operations.