I received an email on 03 March 09 from Bob Sears, Lt Col. USAF (retired). Lt Col Sears was an Air Force B52 and B1B flight instructor who now flies for Federal Express. In this email he included 5 great shots of a downed B-29 off the island of Puerto Rico. He asked if I would like to use them on my web site, which I, of course, jumped at. Lt Col Sears, a group of Air Force types and some locals in Puerto Rico are trying to identify several old aircraft in the waters near the base. They are also looking for a B52 which is supposed to be there.

42-65287 is in good shape but much was removed at the time of the accident for security measures. There is a 1200 foot debris field south of the aircraft. They found 50 caliber bullets still pointing down in the sand grouped like they were in a box. Lt Col Sears hopes to put a plaque on it so it will remain ID'd for many years and divers to come. They hope to locate the tail section later this year. So far no bombs have been located.

The old Officer's Club there is now a restaurant called the "18-67." If you eat there and look north out to sea off the second floor dining area, you will be looking right at the crash site, about a mile out.

After receiving this email and photos, I did some digging for a history on this plane and found the following.

42-65287 was assigned to the Army's Second Air Force, 17th Bomber Operational Training Wing, 246th Army Air Force Base Unit, which was home-based at Pratt, Kansas, but all personnel aboard at the time of the loss were assigned to the Second Air Force, 346th Bomb Group (Very Heavy), 461st Bomb Squadron (Very Heavy).

On May 31, 1945 , 42-65287 lifted off from Borinquen Army Air Field, crossed the coastline, and headed over the ocean to initiate a bombing and gunnery mission as part of Gypsy Sub Task Force THREE.

Shortly after takeoff, oil pressure began dropping in engines one and two, and the propeller blades on those engines jammed in their pitch settings and started to "run away," that is, run at high, uncontrollable speeds while providing no thrust. Due to the stuck blade pitch settings and the uncontrollable speeds of the two propellers, the pilot reported "two props running away" to the base control tower, declared an emergency landing, and, with the closest land astern of them, began to turn around.

Both of the engines were now throwing out a large amount of smoke. The tower closed the air field to all other traffic, and radioed that "287 was cleared to the field." Halfway through setting its new course back to base, the number three engine suddenly lost oil pressure. This engine's prop jammed in its pitch settings, lost thrust, and jumped to an uncontrollable speed as well. The pilots, 2nd Lieutenant James B. Giacomo, 2nd Lieutenant James A. Barrett, and flight engineer, Master Sergeant Edward Herrick, attempted to "feather" all three props to neutral pitch settings. The props would not respond.

The impact with the surface of the sea broke the plane's back, shearing it in half at the radar room. The tail section sank in about 45 seconds, while the forward section floated for between three and four minutes, during which time it rode with the waves, and toward the end of which it stood on its nose as it sank. The gunnery instructor on the flight observed that "the ship went under nose first, exposing the entire bottom torn off, and the tanks and bombs intact."

The crew, some helping one another and others fighting their way out individually, forced their way through in rushing, shoulder-high water to escape

In the water, the crew tried to assist each other as much as possible. Many crew members experienced trouble inflating their Mae West flotation vests because the air chambers in them had been split by the hard impact. Giacomo, perhaps driven by the additional burden of responsibility for the crew charged to his leadership and care, managed to make his way out on the port wing as it was going under, where he successfully removed a five-man life raft from its compartment and inflated it for use by the most injured crew members.

Within about ten minutes, Army crash boats from the Eleventh Army Air Force Emergency Rescue Boat Squadron were directed to the crash scene by overhead aircraft.

When the Army boats arrived, the two sections of the bomber were already underwater. All that remained on the surface were survivors, some hanging to the sides of a life raft and some adrift. According to the crash boat crews, "a lot of equipment was floating in the water...oxygen tanks, cushions, and pieces of metal." Despite the crew's efforts to help one another exit the sinking B-29 and stay afloat and the quick response time of the crash boats; three of the crew - the navigator, radar operator, and tail gunner, were lost at sea.

Based upon the similarities in location and physical characteristics of the wreck, the association between the loss of 42-65287 and the Aguadilla Superfortress wreck seems probable. Specifically, the rear portion of the Aguadilla wreck is missing, which supports the historical account of 42-65287 breaking in half. The nose of the wreck is extensively damaged, which may be consistent with the survivors' accounts of the wreck sinking "nose first." Rigging is still visible on the site trailing aft from the wreckage, supporting some survivors' experiences of entanglement. Finally, the fact that the propellers were removed and relocated in a nearby area, and that no serial plates or propeller control assemblies were present on the motors, may indicate a post-wreck investigation, which would appear reasonable in light of the B-29's emerging role near the end of World War II as the United States' premiere strategic bombing platform.

The next research step will be to examine Navy records for any post-crash salvage activities undertaken at the site to determine the cause of the 42-65287 wreck before a similar fate could befall other new Superfortresses. Hopefully, if such records are located, they will also reveal whether any unexploded ordnance was recovered from the wreck. Possibly, future remote sensing activities in the area surrounding the wreck may reveal the rear half of the aircraft. (Obviously written post accident in 1945).





The above text was taken from the 346 Bomb Group's web site. There was no author cited for this reference.

The photos are all property of Lt Col Bob Sears and may not be used without his permission.

Many, many thanks to Lt Col Sears and friends for sharing their photos with us and to the 346th Bomb Group for their information! ~Sallyann