The pilot seat after 75 years in the ocean off the coast of Palau of a WWII MIA Avenger & Hellcat crewed by Walter E. “Bert” Mintus and Lt. Roland Richard Houle - found byProject RecoverCrew

Project Recover Locates Downed WWII Avenger in Pacific Islands

Lauren TrecostaNews, WWII Finds 1 Comment

May 25, 2016–An American aircraft, a TBM-1C Avenger,missing since July 1944 was recently located in the waters surrounding the Pacific Island nation of Palau by Project RECOVER — a collaborative effort to combine the most advanced oceanographic technology with advanced archival research methods to locate aircraft and associated Americans missing in action (MIA) since World War II. Scattered among the lagoon waters and coral reefs surrounding Palau’s island chain, and concealed within its dense mangrove forests, are several dozen U.S. …

Bentprop Mission 17 Palau

PMAN XVII – Project Recover Locates Avenger In Palau

Lauren TrecostaNews, WWII Finds Leave a Comment

Project Recover Locates Avenger Found In Palau.   Plane wreckage thought to be HellDiver aircraft reveals itself to be an Avenger while local Palau students build their own ROV’s. A joint mission between BentProp.org, Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of Delaware (UDEL), San Diego State University, Stockbridge High School and Pursuit Productions. Team members: Pat Scannon, Dan O’Brien, Jennifer Powers, Val Slocum, Derek Abbey, Mickaila Johnston, Blake Bottler, Flip Colmer P-MAN stands for Palau – Marine, Army Air Force, …

The World War II Helldiver, missing for over 70 years, was discovered in the waters of Palau. Pictured is the bent propellerr.

Project Recover Locates TBM Avenger Off Palau

Lauren TrecostaNews, WWII Finds Leave a Comment

March 30, 2015–Project Recover located a  United States TBM Avenger aircraft lost in World War II and missing for over 70 years was resting in the tropical waters of the Republic of Palau. The carrier-based dive bomber plane was discovered by a multi-disciplinary team from the University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment (UD CEOE), Scripps Institution of Oceanography: University of California-San Diego, the Coral Reef Research Foundation and the BentProp Project. Scientists used state-of-the-art technologies including unmanned …