Underwater Planes.
The Kwajalein Atoll Lagoon, the location of the Airplane Graveyard is the site home to ruins from the Japanese and American World War II. It consists of more than 160 airplanes and 25 ships. One of the airplanes Mueller discovered is an F4U Corsair. The plane having landed on its propeller has its wings buried in the sand and has been standing straight for years as shown in the photo.
While diving through the wreck, Mueller took photos of other Allied airplanes some of which were the B-25 Mitchell, the F4F Wildcats, the Helldivers and the Curtis C-46 Commando. The iconic American airplane, the Douglas SBD Dauntless diver bomber which was thought to have disappeared from time was also found amongst the wrecks in this graveyard.
Stunning Fishes in Their Hundreds.
As is visible in the image below, pretty blue and yellow fishes swim in their hundreds around the nose of a twin-engined medium bomber known as b-25 mitchell. They can also be seen dancing around the wing. This image is one of the many in which Mueller took snapshots of corals, fish and algae spinning an eco-system around the airplane.
But the diver considers it nature’s way of bestowing honor on the sunken heroes. Muella reiterates that it’s quite incredible to watch the ocean build life on metal. She also said that the World War II was history’s deadliest and that she considers the ocean life as beautifying the graves of those who laid down their lives for their nation.
The Douglas SBD
As Previously stated, one of the airplanes discovered By Mueller was the Douglas SBD Dauntless, which was manufactured between 1940 and 1944. For those not privy to this information, the aircraft was famed to have shot down the Japanese carriers in June 1942 during one of the battles that would change the course of WWII – The Battle of Midway. Besides, when the war ended, majority of the Dauntless aircrafts disappeared or got damaged. Therefore, it is always exciting for lovers of aviation to find another one.
The Dauntless was ditched for the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver in the early 1940s, hence, it was abandoned in the sea. On the other hand, the Helldiver was a bigger and speedier but due to delayed production, the Australian and British troops were forced to cancel huge orders.
Barely Three Feet Away
Surprisingly, there were three planes that landed within three feet of each other. It’s more astonishing that a greater number of the airplanes are still in excellent conditions over the years with very few wings and tails scattered in the sand. Surely, these made for amazing pictures. If the planes were in worse shape, Mueller was certain that the photos would not have been so lovely.
Mueller chose to use a “birds-eye” view to take shots of the length and gigantic wings of the plane. The bird-eye view employed By Mueller, affords any viewer a clear look at one of the secrets of the World War II that has been sought for long. It’s especially so for historians who have no desire to go diving.
Some Aircrafts Were Damaged.
Although, Mueller discovered more than 150 planes on the ocean floor, some did not land in good condition. Most of the planes hit the sea floor intact but some were damaged before they landed at the depths of the ocean. However, even in their bad condition, some of these Aircrafts provided hints to archeologists about what was obtainable at the time.
It may sound unbelievable but the discovery on the Marshall Islands was not the first time military equipment was disposed in the sea By the US government. On the other hand, military arsenal is frequently dumped in weird places.
The Cost of War
You’ve probably heard on the news severally that war is expensive. The US had funded the World War II with $347 billion in the year 1945. That money would be ten times its worth today! So, it felt like the taxpayers were been punched in the face when all that equipment was tossed into deep waters. Little wonder it was kept as a secret By the government.
Now that Brandi has discovered the Airplane Graveyard, the Marshall Islands could have a huge turnaround. The islands have become a center for tourism since the Graveyard was made public By the photographer, raking in the long overdue revenue.
The Airplane Graveyard.
The highly decorated photographer, Mueller, compiled and published all the photos she took of the airplanes from the American World War II in a book she titles, “The Airplane Graveyard: The Forgotten WWII Warbirds of Kwajalein Atoll”.In the book, readers are taken into the stories of the iconic planes, their impact on the Pacific world War II as well as how they got to rest in the depths of the ocean
Mueller leads you to the Pacific waters to see the abandoned ruins of the Douglas SBD Dauntless, the Curtis SB2C Helldiver, the Vought F4U Corsair, the C-46 Commando and other Aircrafts. Mueller said the ocean may have some things to teach us. And her finding isn’t the only odd one that has been uncovered on the ocean floor.
A Diving Trip
On May 13, 2014, a team of divers from the department of Marine Ecology at the Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada, made ready to take a trip into the ocean. The team’s mission was to study sea life and their patterns in the West coast of the charming Island of Vancouver.
At first, the diving team had plans to just take notes and capture some images of the wildlife in the ocean. However, as they packed their supplies into the boat and went off onto the deep waters, they never imagined the surprise the sea had in store for them.
A Diving Excursion
The team of divers specifically chose to go into the water to observe the numerous sea star variants that resided in that area. With a big enough group, the students expected to understand and explain their behaviours and possibly catch some for further study in the labs at school.
Eventually, the divers got deep into the water and were noting the population of starfish. But as soon as they descended to the seabed, two divers noticed a strange object. Not being able to make anything of the object, they swam closer, bent on uncovering the truth. As they observed it up close, they were astonished at the odd object they had found.
The Discovery
Tella Osler on the right alongside Beau Doherty on the left were the students from Simon Fraser University who found the mysterious object in the ocean floor. Doherty was the first to see it and notified others about it. Olser concurred, saying that the object was out of place there. They both dove to the object wanting to ensure it wasn’t trash, with the intent to take out waste from the beautiful waters.
Upon getting very close, Doherty saw that there were hard edges and a leather strap waving in the tide. As he tugged on the belt, he was shocked to see a lens surface from the seabed. Regardless of the oceanic life and algae covering the metallic surface, Doherty immediately realized that it was a camera!
Who Does It Belong To?
As soon as Doherty had lifted out the rust-eaten camera, he put into his bag and continued his research. But as he went on, he kept wondering who the owner of the camera could be. And even more significant was the question of how it had come to be at the bottom of the sea as well as the duration of time it had spent tucked away.
The team’s leader, Professor Isabelle Cote recounted that one of the students took the camera and tucked it in his bag before continuing with his starfish count. She continued saying that the student showed the others what he had found and they were all eager to uncover the mystery behind the strange discovery.
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