Coral Covered WWII Plane Identified

Discussion in 'The Bucket' started by Matt Rogers, Apr 6, 2010.

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  1. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    Some of us get up and sit at a desk most days. Navy lieutenant William Dill got up and had to go to dive-bombing practice in a Helldiver airplane off of Maui. William's rudder controls jammed when the tail fin was damaged forcing him to try and land it in the water. He did it perfectly and survived uninjured. And now thanks to William's talent and those that documented his preserved plane 66 years later, we get to enjoy these incredible photos of the WWII plane covered in coral. Thank you for your service William.

    [​IMG]
    A Helldiver Airplane in Maalaea Bay, HI - Photo Credit: Harry Donenfeld

    Today the plane rests on the sandy bottom of Maalaea Bay in about 50 feet of water, encrusted with coral and surrounded by schools of fish.



    MORE PICS, GREAT STORY AND SOURCE:
    WWII-era plane ID'd - Mauinews.com | News, Sports, Jobs, Visitor's Information - The Maui News
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2010
    Matt Rogers, Apr 6, 2010
    Matt Rogers, Apr 6, 2010
    #1

    2. Click Here!

  2. MoonChaser

    MoonChaser Aiptasia Anemone

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    Very interesting. It seems the fish like their home
     
    MoonChaser, Apr 6, 2010
    MoonChaser, Apr 6, 2010
    #2
  3. Sarrixx

    Sarrixx Bristle Worm

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    looks mad as! great pic
     
    Sarrixx, Apr 6, 2010
    Sarrixx, Apr 6, 2010
    #3
  4. slocal

    slocal Doot!

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    wow, great water ditch!
     
    slocal, Apr 6, 2010
    slocal, Apr 6, 2010
    #4
  5. =Jwin=

    =Jwin= Tassled File Fish

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    I wanna go diving on that! That would be awesome :) 50 feet of water is nothin'...
     
    =Jwin=, Apr 6, 2010
    =Jwin=, Apr 6, 2010
    #5
  6. Night-Rida

    Night-Rida Finback Whale

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    that would look good in my reef tank. lol :)
     
    Night-Rida, Apr 6, 2010
    Night-Rida, Apr 6, 2010
    #6

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  7. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    Be sure to check out the other pics in that link and the story itself there... it is fantastic.
     
    Matt Rogers, Apr 6, 2010
    Matt Rogers, Apr 6, 2010
    #7
  8. johnmaloney

    johnmaloney 3reef Sponsor

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    very cool! one of the coolest things I saw underwater was an old discarded outboard engine totally encrusted with porites. (Well okay, mostly encrusted)
     
    johnmaloney, Apr 8, 2010
    johnmaloney, Apr 8, 2010
    #8