THE LOST PLANES OF THE SALTON SEA

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The Salton's Sea most notorious features is its status as a graveyard for sunken World War II Navy planes and young men who died while preparing for war: At least 24 Navy planes crashed into the sea and 18 of 23 crewmen died. 

EXCLUSIVE: 
 AEROQUEST has partnered with CROSS MAINE PROJECTS and the U.S. NAVY to document the underwater locations of the individual aircraft wrecks. This is the first time anyone has ever decided to find THE LOST PLANES of the SALTON SEA, which occurred at Naval Auxillary Air Station Salton Sea between 1942-1947.

TBM AVENGER - 1O LOST

The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world.

The Avenger entered U.S. service in 1942, and first saw action during the Battle of Midway. Despite losing five of the six Avengers on its combat debut, it survived in service to become one of the outstanding torpedo bombers of World War II. Greatly modified after the war, it remained in use until the 1960s.[1]

DATE:

BuNo:

MODEL:

PILOT:

STATUS:
01/11/1943
08/29/1943
11/27/1943
12/13/1943
12/13/1943
02/23/1944
10/28/1944
12/20/1944
01/30/1945
02/07/1945
12/30/1947
25152
47619
25209
25019
25026
24993
23901
68133
24728
24135
53477
TBM-1C
TBF-1
TBM-1C
TBM-1
TBM-1
TBM-1
TBF-1
TBM-3
TBM-1
TBF-1
TBM-3E
Donald A. Adair
Robert L McKee
Ralph W. Stockemer
Caryll E. Clyne
Albert M. Syllers
Paul L. Benthin
William D Heekin
William V Colbert
Arthur J Godske
Charles Norgren
Richard F. Culver
Fatal
Fatal
Fatal
No
Fatal
Fatal
No
Fatal
Fatal
Fatal
No

F4U CORSAIR - 2 LOST

The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A.  12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured by Vought,[1] in 16 separate models, in the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942–1953).[2][3][4] It quickly became the most capable carrier-based fighter-bomber of World War II. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II,[5] and the U.S. Navy counted an 11:1 kill ratio with the F4U Corsair.[6]

DATE:

BuNo:

MODEL:

PILOT:

STATUS:
08/03/1944
08/29/1945
18668
17991
F4U-1
F4U-1A
Donald Leroy Pinz
Charles Wesley Shell
Fatal
No

WILDCAT - 4 LOST

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy (as the Martlet) in 1940. First used in combat by the British in Europe, the Wildcat was the only effective fighter available to the United States Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater during the early part of World War II in 1941 and 1942. With a top speed of 318 mph (512 km/h), the Wildcat was outperformed by the faster 331 mph (533 km/h), more maneuverable, and longer ranged Mitsubishi A6M Zero. But the F4F's ruggedness, coupled with tactics such as the Thach Weave, resulted in an air combat kill-to-loss ratio of 5.9:1 in 1942 and 6.9:1 for the entire war.[2]
The Wildcat continued to be built throughout the remainder of the war to serve on escort carriers, where larger and heavier fighters could not be used.

DATE:

BuNo:

MODEL:

PILOT:

STATUS:
10/08/1943
10/15/1943
10/15/1943
01/22/1944
15377
5276
15173
15568
FM-1
F4F-4
FM-1
FM-1
Wilbur A Turner
Grant P Tulley
Robert M. Livingston
James D McGee
Fatal
Fatal
Fatal
Fatal

HELLCAT - 3 LOST

The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft conceived to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy (USN) service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design,[4] powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800.  The F6F was best known for its role as a rugged, well designed carrier fighter which was able, after its combat debut in early 1943, to counter the Mitsubishi A6M and help secure air superiority over the Pacific Theater. Such was the quality of the basic simple, straightforward design, that the Hellcat was the least modified fighter of the war, with a total of 12,200 being built in just over two years.[6] Hellcats were credited with destroying 5,223 aircraft while in service with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm[7][N 2] This was more than any other Allied naval aircraft

DATE:

BuNo:

MODEL:

PILOT:

STATUS:
06/20/1944
11/30/1944
04/14/1945
40860
70552
70629
F6F-3
F6F-5
F6F-5
Donald A. Innis
D L Hellfrink
Irving Kahn
Fatal
Fatal
Fatal

HELLDIVER - 3 LOST

The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber aircraft produced for the United States Navy during World War II. It replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless in US Navy service. Despite its size, the SB2C was much faster than the SBD it replaced. Crew nicknames for the aircraft included the Big-Tailed Beast (or just the derogatory Beast),[1] Two-Cee and Son-of-a-Bitch 2nd Class (after its designation and partly because of its reputation for having difficult handling characteristics).[2] However, it was reported that some pilots soon changed their minds favorably about the potency of the Helldiver,[4] and in spite of its problems, the aircraft was flown through the last two years of the Pacific War with a fine combat record, due to the high training of its crews.[3]

DATE:

BuNo:

MODEL:

PILOT:

STATUS:
05/15/1942
10/04/1944
01/09/1945
4222
75319
19727
SBC-4
S2B2C-1A
SB2C-4
Calvin R Duke
James Veeneman
Allen T Wyres
No
Fatal
Fatal

PBY CATALINA - 3 LOST

The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat, and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. Catalinas served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. During World War II, PBYs were used in anti-submarine warfare, patrol bombing, convoy escorts, search and rescue missions (especially air-sea rescue), and cargo transport. The PBY was the most numerous aircraft of its kind and the last active military PBYs were not retired from service until the 1980s. Even today, nearly 80 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations all over the world.

DATE:

BuNo:

MODEL:

PILOT:

STATUS:
02/13/1942
06/11/1942
12/27/1942
2313
2316
7058
PBY-5
PBY-5
PB2Y
Rolf H. Hagen
Robert M. Harper
William O. Carlson
No
No
Fatal