[divegyrl]

I'm part of an e-mail list of deep tech wreckies based in North America, and this came through this morning.
It maybe in the wrong place, it is about WKPP & AUE, but I don't think that posting it in the DIR forum will expose it to a wide enough audience. I may be wrong, so it can be moved if necessary. I don't know why it was recovered, but just thought it made interesting reading, for all wreckies out there!
Enjoy!
B

B25 recovery in South Carolina
On April 4th, 1943 a B25 "Mitchell" bomber experienced an engine failure during a practice bombing session and ditched in Lake Murray near Columbia, SC. On September 10th, nine divers from the Woodville Karst Plain Project (WKPP) and the Association of Underwater Explorers (AUE) started the daunting task of recovering the historical aircraft from its' resting place 150' below the surface. Conditions were challenging with visibility ranging from about 12"-18" before disturbing anything to effectively nothing once work started. The temperature was better than expected at 60F on the bottom and around 80F at the surface. The divers recruited for the dives all had extensive experience with the Doing It Right (DIR) style of diving, utilized an 18/35 gas mix with standard cave diving equipment.

Most of the first day was spent marking the aircraft and supporting the barge positioning. Marker buoys were later attached to the cockpit and tail with downlines going to the left and right engines. After several attempts, lines were secured under the wings and through the gap where the flap was extended. This line was used to pull an 8' wide strap, rated at 41,000 lbs, under the wing. Two 400 lb spreader bars were then lowered to the worksite for attachment to the lift strap. This operation was not as straightforward as planned. One spreader bar penetrated the forward cockpit then lodged in the engine cowling as it was removed. After three dives the spreader bar was freed and positioned above the straps. Two 55gal steel drums were attached to the right engine mount (the engine came off during the ditching) and partially filled with sand to counter-balance the left engine.

When it was discovered that part of the left wing was missing the barrels were removed. By the last dive on Thursday, both spreader bars had been shackled to the lift straps and attached to the lifting hooks. During the lift on Friday morning a problem was discovered with one of the shackles and the aircraft was lowered to the bottom while the problem was fixed. The aircraft was lifted to the surface then slowly transported 2 miles to the end of the dam where it would be lifted to shore. During the transport the nose of the aircraft from the cockpit forward started to crack and come apart. An interim strap was used to stabilize the nose for the remainder of the trip to shore. This turned into a 36 hour work day for some so Saturday was an off day while rigging to stabilize the aircraft was acquired. On Sunday the housekeeping activities of de-silting and dredging the compartments reached full speed and were quickly accomplished. An additional bar to support the cockpit was fabricated and installed on Monday which cleared the way for the final lift to shore.

The dive portion of this project spanned 10 days of missed food, sleep deprivation, and delays, yet everyone remained in good spirits and did whatever was asked of them. I am extremely proud of the volunteers who helped make this historical recovery possible.


The Dive team was:

Brian Armstrong (WKPP)*

Mike Barnette (AUE)

Billy Baxter (WKPP)*

Heather Choat (WKPP/AUE)*

Joe Citelli (AUE)

Chris Elmore (WKPP)

Gene Hobbs (WKPP)*

Glen Hunt (WKPP)*

Rob Maiker (WKPP)*


* These divers were with the project from start to finish.


Thanks to:

Halcyon Manufacturing for supplying lift bags, surface marker buoys, video lighting, and other equipment.

Maxtec for the use of an Oxygen analyzer.

Palmetto Welding Supply for the dive gases.

Wateree Dive Center for all the air tops.

Countless individuals for their support.


Chris Elmore & Heather Choat
Lead divers