The loss of RAAF Boston A28-20, Gona, Papua, November 1942

2019 ACUA Underwater Archeology Proceedings, 2019

In 2016, representatives of Saiki, Japan presented an historical aircraft engine, propeller, and partial wing to the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). The artifacts were discovered by accident some years prior when fishermen caught their nets on a submerged U.S. naval aircraft in Saiki Bay. Residents of the city of Saiki attempted to raise the aircraft but were only able to recover it in part. Having little archaeological context, NHHC researchers are tasked with identifying the artifacts and defining the wartime actions that resulted in aircraft losses in the area of Saiki.

Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology, 2023

This chapter is intended to serve as a basic guide for archaeologists to the several types of military aircraft wreck sites and debris fields that may be encountered-describing both the processes that created the incidents and the processes that subsequently affected the aircraft wreckage and human remains that may be associated with terrestrial aircraft loss sites-and suggest a common lexicon and description to better categorize loss types that investigators are likely to encounter when surveying and excavating missing military aircraft. By appropriately identifying crash sites by type, a body of information may be applied by site investigators that better aids them in understanding what material evidence and artifacts may be present, and what activities and post-crash processes may have occurred that have affected site integrity where human remains likely may be found for recovery. The editors for this volume are Hunter W. Whitehead and Megan Lickliter-Mundon. This volume is found in Springer's Contributions to Global Historical Archaeology series. What is presented here is a sample of the entire chapter and is the first four pages of the whole.

The search for Spitfire fighter aircraft allegedly buried in Burma at the end of World War Two received worldwide media coverage in 2012 and 2013. In this report into the archival research and subsequent fieldwork at Yangon International Airport the authors investigate the apparent origins of what they identify as a captivating urban myth and offer suggestions as to how and why that myth has been propagated in the years since 1945. In so doing they also offer a commentary on the use and misuse of evidence, including the dangers of taking oral histories literally, the psychology of belief and the relationship of western cultures with iconic moments and objects of World War Two. They also demonstrate how many of the common tropes of treasure myths and conspiracy theories have now been applied to the story of buried Spitfires. The authors also discuss the ethical dilemmas which must be negotiated when trying to extract good archaeology and good science from a situation where the research has been set up by others to be object focussed rather than research focussed. Finally at a practical level the team examine and offer solutions to issues of health, safety and ethics when conducting archaeology on sites which are potentially contaminated by unexploded ordnance and munitions and where human remains might be present.

2016

At the moment, the majority of submerged aircraft knowledge comes from non-academic sources. There is a lack of knowledge regarding submerged aircraft because historically speaking they had more of an economic value rather than academic. However, the need to interact with submerged aircraft due to an increase of sea activities such as diving and other commercial activity has left a gap in our understanding of this submerged heritage. Although the amount of academic research on submerged aircraft has vastly increased over the last ten years, there is still a larger body of knowledge made up of non-academic sources. And at times these non-academic sources are often overlooked by researchers, but may potentially have useful information for future studies of aircraft wrecks. The main question this study tries to answer is how to properly examine these aircraft by analyzing legislation, media, and perceptions of submerged WW II aircraft in order to identify their archaeological potential. The perceptions and research potential of three submerged WW II aircraft studies will be used as case studies to examine this question and others pertaining to the study of submerged WW II aircraft. The culmination of the study will result in recommendations for the management of the Black Jack Wreck. I øjeblikket kommer størstedelen af vores viden om flyvrag under vand fra ikke-akademiske kilder. Der er en mangel på viden omkring flyvrag under vand, fordi historisk set, har de haft en mere økonomisk, end en akademisk værdi. Behovet for at interagere med sunkne fly, grundet en stigning i hav aktiviteter, såsom dykning og anden kommerciel aktivitet, har forårsaget at Ortiz 281089 forståelsen af denne undersøiske kulturarv er mangelfuld. Selv om mængden af akademisk forskning af flyvrag under vand er steget væsentligt de sidste ti år, stammer størstedelen stadig fra ikke-akademiske kilder. Ofte overser forskere disse ikke-akademiske undersøgelser, på trods af at de potentielt kan have nyttige oplysninger til fremtidige studier af flyvrag. Det primære spørgsmål, denne undersøgelse forsøger at besvare, er hvorledes man korrekt undersøger flyvrag, ved at analysere lovgivning, medier, og forståelsen af sunkne fly fra anden verdenskrig for at identificere deres arkæologiske potentiale. Forskningspotentialet samt forståelsen af undersøgelser af tre anden verdenskrigs flyvrag under vand, vil anvendes som casestudies til at undersøge dette og andre spørgsmål i studiet af flyvrag under vand fra anden verdenskrig. Kulminationen af undersøgelsen vil resultere i et forslag til håndteringen af Black Jack Wreck.

BULLETIN-AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR MARITIME …, 2003

Journal of forensic sciences, 2002

Determining the location and distribution of cockpit and aircrew-related equipment within the wider debris field of a military aircraft crash site is an essential first step in planning and executing the recovery of missing aircrew members presumed still to be on the site. Understanding the spatial relationship of these materials improves the likelihood of finding and recovering the remains of the aircrew during the excavation of an aircraft crash site. Since the greater portion of these unaccounted for crewmembers were involved in aircraft with single-seat cockpits or cockpits with two or three seats in tandem, pre-analysis of the debris pattern may be more-or-less straightforward. Larger, multiple-personnel aircraft, on the other hand, create a potentially more complex analytical situation given the aircrew's greater freedom of movement within the aircraft. Nevertheless, the same fundamental principles apply and, indeed, have been successfully so for some time in the civilian ...

Oahu is surrounded by shipwrecks and plane wrecks, however little is being done to study the sites or to conserve the sites because they are not in national sanctuary waters. The specific site of this underwater study is at a depth of 15 feet and is located between the Mokulua Islands and Lanikai Beach. The site consists of the remains of a p-47 WWII fighter plane known as a Thunderbolt. to determine how the plane crashed, what portions have survived over the years and what the current state of the site is. However, the inventory survey was not completed due to adverse weather conditions but a data analysis was completed based on details obtained by other parties. The data collected will contribute to the overall knowledge of site preservation in high energy environments as well as document this site for future reference and preservation.

This project examines the Second World War (WWII) history of the Newfoundland Airport (Gander, Newfoundland), with a focus on civilian and military life on the base, and the potential for aviation archaeology to enhance the historical record. To accomplish this, ten WWII era airplane crash sites were examined archaeologically, using a variety of methods depending on the state of the wreck and the environment of the site. On the grounds of the original airbase, the Royal Canadian Air Force Globe Theatre was excavated to determine the viability of excavating areas of the former nearby town site and to examine the material culture of those living at the base. In particular, information was sought on potential interactions between the three main countries residing and working at Gander in WWII; Canada, the United States, and Newfoundland. The aircraft crash sites yielded information about the crashes themselves, modern reuse of sites, and the potential risk of disturbance. They also allowed for further development of archaeological methods to be used at other aviation sites around Newfoundland and Labrador. A major conclusion of this study is that base life was less segregated than official documents indicated, and that there was a significant amount of cooperation and flow of goods between the three countries. A combination of archaeological, documentary and memory research indicated a more relaxed atmosphere to the base, but still a realization of the importance to the work being done and the impact of the war on those serving at Gander. This project has set much of the groundwork for further archaeological study in this province, where numerous aviation sites of historical importance and war-era aviation and naval bases have yet to be researched, such as the WWII and Cold War facilities in Stephenville.

Forensic Science International, 2021

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is responsible for the recovery and identification of its historic casualties. With over 30,000 still unrecovered from past conflicts including World War One (WW1) and World War Two (WWII), the Australian Army and Royal Australian Air Force have teams that research, recover, identify and oversee the burial (or reburial) of the remains of soldiers and airmen who continue to be found each year. The Royal Australian Navy is also responsible for its unrecovered casualties. Collectively the priorities of the various services within the ADF are the respectful recovery and treatment of the dead, thorough forensic identification efforts, resolution for families and honouring the ADF's proud history of service and sacrifice. What is unique about the approach of the ADF is that the respective services retain responsibility for their historic losses, while a joint approach is taken on policies and in the utilisation of the pool of forensic specialists. Section One describes the process undertaken by the Australian Army in the recovery, identification and burial or repatriation of soldiers through its specialised unit Unrecovered War Casualties-Army (UWC-A). Section Two describes the role of the Royal Australian Air Force in the recovery of aircraft and service personnel through their specialised unit Historic Unrecovered War Casualties-Air Force (HUWC-AF). An overview of the operations of each service and case studies is presented for each section.