8-12-12
TISIRI divers Larry Davis, Ed Kalakauskis, Nate Tucei, and Joe Kistel continued wreckage investigation efforts at the wreck site previously referred to as "Site 2." Kistel and Davis collected imagery of the wreckage components that you can view below. The goals of the investigation were to capture images of structures in hopes that these images will later help identify the aircraft. See images below and let us know if you can identify any of the parts.
By a stroke of luck and a little digging effort TISIRI's Kistel happen to come across a component that got his attention. He picked it up and went to put it back down when he noticed what appeared to be a small plate riveted to it. He decided to hold on to it. Back aboard the boat, it was hard to tell with all the growth but Kistel had just found a component with a data plate. If information can be retrieved from this plate it may lead TISIRI into the proper identification of this particular aircraft.
The data plate is currently being reviewed and there is a good chance we already know what this aircraft is.
Click here to see the data plate collected
Click here to see photos from our first discovery of this site.
What is that thing in picture 12? It looks like more of the parts can be buried deeper.
Wayne, we are not sure what that specific item is at this point. We are quite certain much more of the aircraft is buried deeper in the sand.
WOW! I have heard of things like a sunken barge becoming a reef and so forth but never in a million years understood or seen how it impacts the eco system. I think that what your doing is wonderful. Please let me know if you ever need any volunteers in the Galveston, TX area. I think it would be a BLAST!!
the orange is fuel cell foam
7/20 or 3/20 could be the gun drum
having worked on a7’s I am pretty familiar with it. since no size given on pic 12 have to take a guess on it and say that it looks quite like the 20mm gun port which is left side just below center line and about 3′ behind the nose. as said, can’t be sure due to no size given but the thing was about 8-10″ in size. the remainder of the item is probably skin that was ripped off on impact. there is no picture of the gun, so have to ask—was that found??? have a great day all.
Doug,
The pictures show pretty much everything that has been encountered thus far. We have not confirmed identity on the majority of the components yet.