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P-MAN VI - p. 7 
ATTACHMENT 4: Finding, mapping and initially identifying an FM-2 Wildcat (possibly associated with one MIA, BNR), which crashed on land in southeastern Babeldaob On 12 FEB 04, for the second year in a row, I was invited
to give a BentProp Project presentation at Sam's Dive Shop (see
Attachment 11 below). After the presentation, I was introduced
to a woman, Cecelia, who told us about an airplane she had seen on Babeldaob
"sticking out of the ground." Joe was able to determine the
property owner's name. He took us to interview and get permission from
the owner, who has held the property for about twenty years. During my
video interview (courtesy PostStar Productions), we found out that, although
aware of this debris on his property, the owner knew nothing about its
history. He arranged for a Filipino caretaker to meet us on the property
and take us to the site.
The wing is oriented with wing tip up. Control surfaces are missing and part of the star and bar can still be made out on its surface. We crossed the swamp in a southwesterly direction and did a preliminary examination of this second debris field on the hillside. We found an engine and distinctive landing gear of a Wildcat, which initially surprised us, because this is a type that we were not aware flew over Palau during WWII. [Our records did not show any F4F Wildcats lost in Palau. But by the time this particular aircraft was lost, quite a few FM-2 Wildcats (successor to the F4F) were in operation in the Pacific, primarily operating from escort carriers (also known as "jeep carriers"). The FM-2 was essentially the same as the F4F, but had a Wright engine instead of the F4F's Pratt & Whitney.
Previously the SeaBees, stationed on Babeldaob, had offered to help us whenever they could. So we drove back and approached the Officer in Charge, LT Steve Lepper, and Chief John Grant for assistance. Chief Grant immediately rounded up four Palauan apprentices, loaded them into a truck and followed us back to the site. Within a couple of hours of careful clearing, we had outlined a roughly linear debris field from the wing to the east, past fuselage debris on the west edge of the swamp to the engine/landing gear assembly near the hilltop. From the engine to the fuselage debris, we found scattered debris in the hillside brush, some of which is cockpit-related.
After photo-documenting and obtaining GPS coordinates for these individual debris fields, we invited the JPAC team to the site. We also contacted Richard Wills, one of JPAC's historians about this Wildcat site. He later E-mailed us and let us know that FM-2 model Wildcats flew over Palau in late September 1944 as part of separate escort carrier activities (Task Units 32.7.1, 32.7.2 and 32.7.3), after the main fast carrier attack forces left. Several FM-2s were shot down, at least one of which was reported to have gone down in this general area. [NOTE: Later, in August 2004, after a visit at NARA, we determined that the aviator whom we believe is associated with this crash site, remains MIA/BNR.]
On 14 FEB 04, Dr. Belcher and several members of the JPAC team accompanied us back to the site and monitored our activities that day. We conducted preliminary searches in the areas most likely to contain remains: around the engine (on the hillside) and cockpit (at the west edge of swamp) - but found no remains. We returned on 17 FEB 04 and Flip Colmer, a former U. S. Navy F18 aviator found and immediately recognized an intact tail hook. At Dr. Belcher's recommendation, this FM-2's tail hook was presented to the Palauan Historical Preservation Office for safe keeping. My initial excavation around the propeller also uncovered a patent plate but the engine identification plate was not located.
Joe and I later returned and refilled the excavation
sites. This FM-2 Wildcat crash site has already been designated a high
priority for the P-MAN VII mission in 2005 to complete of our survey for
JPAC and HPO. |
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Page last modified 28 April 2005 |
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