"Holy Grail" of aircraft found of San Diego

[Timberwolf]

How would it be US Navy property if it was a Confederate ship?

[rufus_firefly]

How would it be US Navy property if it was a Confederate ship?

All Confederate property belongs to the US government. It doesn't matter where it is.

[KASTAUFFER]

I recall a story concerning the bell from the CSS Alabama. It's been a while, so the details are fuzzy, but the gist is this: since the Alabama is sunk off Cherbourg which is a French submarine base, the French won't let anyone dive on it. They do use it to train their divers however. One brought up the ship's bell, it ended up in the hands of an American collector. He offered to trade it to the Navy for some more common items they had (in the Naval Academy Museum I believe). The Navy dickered, counteroffered with some lowball items. Collector said no thanks, I'll keep the bell. Navy swoops in, says it's theirs, takes the bell anyway. This was quite a while ago. I did recently see the guns off the Alabama at the Hunley museum in Charleston, don't know what's going on with the Alabama now.

Steve

 

 

Here is a site with an update abut the bell. Appears the one the collector had was a fake and the real bell was found by French and US Navy divers

 

http://www.astrococktail.com/CNHStale.html

 

http://www.uri.edu/artsci/his/mua/alabama/alafind3.html

 

Kurt

[mpguy80/08]

FIFI the B-29 flew in today for a display this weekend here in Cincinnati... For those who are close enough, it is at the Lunken Airport east of town.

 

Wayne

[History Man]

i think i am going to take a trip over to the Chino Air Museum to see the ME109. hope we get some updates on the TBD Devastator. :thumbsup:

[fordmustanggt_350]

Thanks for posting! Always love hearing stories about airplanes being recovered!

[History Man]

the other rare plane is german and thats off the coast of Britian. it is a german bomber that was ditched by the crew and it fell almost perfect to the bottom and most of it is intact. that is also another plane be raised :thumbsup:

[nmckenzie]

i also had the luck to see Glacier Girl at the Planes of Fame Air Show in Chino. i guess both services have the same chip in their shoulder about salvaging of planes. also at Chino they are restoring an ME109 fighter :w00t: i cant wait to see that fly at onr of the airshows and displayed at the musuem. are there any Buffalos yet or were they all destroyed? :think:

 

Regarding the Brewster Buffalo. There's one in the Finnish AF Museum, along with a Fokker D.XXI, Gladiator, Blenheim and such, and I'm fairly certain the USN has one on display - possibly in Florida - that'd been recovered in what was then the USSR. Pretty sure the USN's bird is still in Finnish markings.

[History Man]

they should repaint it to match the color scheme at midway, so a navy paintjob. i wonder whats going on with the TBD at the moment? :think:

 

Philip

[nmckenzie]

TBD-1 Devastator Bu.No.0298, assigned to Torpedo 5 aboard USS Yorktown, was one of two ditched in relatively shallow water near Jaluit Atoll in the Marshalls, 1 Feb 42. If you Google TIGHAR you'll find details of the ongoing effort to salvage her.