The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Underwater Archaeology Branch recently took three weeks (from August 22 to September 12, 2019) to survey nine areas around Lake Michigan known to possibly have WWII-era planes that have sunk. Between 1923 and 1942, the U.S. Navy used the lake as a training ground during the war, and there are supposedly 120 planes at the bottom of Lake Michigan from that time.
“These aircraft represent a significant part of U.S. history and offer a wealth of knowledge about the history of naval aviation,” a statement from the NOAA reads. “The cold, fresh waters of Lake Michigan provide ideal preservation conditions, and many of the aircraft are in such good condition that the paint scheme can still be used to help identify them. As part of an initiative to manage this collection of sunken aircraft, the Naval History and Heritage Command is leading an effort to find and preserve this piece of history.”
After the three-week search, two aircraft were located: One, a confirmed Avenger aircraft, and the second, a possible Avenger. Divers or a ROV will be able to tell for certain in a future dive.
For more information about the project, visit nauticalcharts.noaa.gov.
