P-MAN XIV Update #20 - The ROV team heads home.

06 April 2012

Today we helped Suzanne Finney finish cataloging the Corsair that was recently found in Palau. Although there is a moratorium on sport divers diving the site, it would be nice to document what goes missing over time. That is Suzanne's job as an underwater archeologist. So a baseline is taken at the time the aircraft is found. Here are some of our last photos from the Corsair:

Derek looking under the canopy from the cockpit toward the tail.

The sea will reclaim the wreck and repurpose it. A fish feeding off the hull and coral starting to spread.

Wide shot from the right front.

Right wing root.

Suzanne working.

Flip lounging in the shade

Derek on the prop

We then showed Suzanne the B-24 that our team found in 2004. Its entire crew had been listed as MIAs. Three parachuted out, were captured by the Japanese and then executed. JPAC recovered remains of the other 8 crewmembers from this underwater crash site during three recovery missions over a period of four years. A former President of Palau put a diver moratorium on this site and it does seem to be undisturbed from our last visit. This was Suzanne's first cataloging visit. However, since JPAC is done at this site and disturbed it quite significantly during the recovery efforts, this will probably be it for official visits.

Part of the B-24's nose turret assembly.

Right horizontal and vertical stabilizers lying on the bottom.
Does the vertical stabilizer and rudder kinda look like a moray eel to you?

Lion fish. The first year we dove the airplane there was only one.
This year we saw five. They always congregate at the same place in the wreckage.

Coral growing.

This was the last day for the ROV team before they headed home. They did a tour of the big island and visited ancient Palauan sites. Jolie Liston even arranged for them to see her work on the old terraces of Aimeliik, which is not part of the standard tour. Since we had their goodbye dinner already, everyone headed to their favorite spots for one last meal in Palau.

The ROV team packs out.

Ditto

One last group photo.

And then they were gone. When we woke up this morning, the ROV team was halfway to Tokyo. As I write this, their airplane to Detroit should be pushing back from the gate. Four of the students will be graduating and moving on to college. The four who are staying in high school want to come back with a "lessons learned" improved vehicle. Whether Stockbridge mounts another expedition with us is dependent on many variables. However, BentProp certainly wants them to participate again. It was a blast for us. But the robot competitors out there better watch out. This team is in it to win. Their next competition is later this month!

Tomorrow, we go back to Ngeruktabel with Calvin who swears he really knows where an airplane is up there. And we have a lat/long from someone who he took there. This looks promising.

- Flip Colmer

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