Warbirds of Marovo Lagoon

Mid section, under wing Dauntless with bomb held in place with bomb shackle. Adjacent round recesses for wheels called wheel wells.

View of arming vane of bomb; once the bomb is dropped, the arming wire stays on the plane, pulls away from the bomb's propellor, thus allows the bomb's propellor to turn, which in turn arms the bomb's fuse so that when it hits target, the fuse sets off another charge, intermediary charge, which then sets off the main filling in the bomb. Filling, was high explosive (HE). HE inactive after so many years in the water. Starboard wheel on left.

The 500 lb bomb underwater is inert, as it is saturated with water. However, if it was taken out of the water and dried, then there is a risk of detonation. Best left alone.

Air brakes on underside of wing.

Wheel, down, with soft corals.

Tail, with flap down ? in landing configuration. Anchor line attached to tail skeg wheel.

Fuselage of Dauntless, underside looking up toward the surface.

Bent prop, in front of radial engine.

Back scatter as water very silted, also divers finning around stirring things up!

Starboard tail plane seen from underneath.

View of rotary engine of Dauntless Dive bomber, looking across to underside of port wing.

Dauntless, looking foward from rear of wing.

P 38. Nose section seen from in front and port side. Cockpit side with pink soft coral has now been pulled away; starboard props to left, and port to right.

P 38, Starboard engine; not prop blades intact and not really bent.

Cockpit. Note cracked plexiglass about a 1/4 inch thick on each side.

Starboard engine, viewed from cockpit. P 38 is right side up.

Port motor with prop with bent tip. The theory is that this engine was turning when the plane hit the water, whereas the starboard props were not turning.

Alex, my dive buddy, at cockpit. Hands on controls, and fingers on firing button.

Alex, about to commence strafing run.

Looking back to cockpit, from area of canisters which contained the ammo.

Cockpit from port side looking forward.

View into cockpit, from forward, starboard side.

Overview of Alex on top of starboard wing, just level with back end of cockpit.

Overview, mounts for guns and ammo.

Turbocharger, though there is more detail to be written about this structure.

P 38 looking as pilot would see along starboard wing.