Airplane Wrecks of the USS Saratoga (Bikini Atoll — 165 fsw)

Intro

This is my 250th post and it is an epic one! Sit back, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy!

Everybody that goes to Bikini dives the USS Saratoga (CV-3) aircraft carrier and there is certainly plenty to see both inside and on the exterior.

It is one of only a few dive-able aircraft carriers in the world. The penetration dives are absolutely epic (dentist’s office, combat information center, machine shop, dive locker, the list goes on and on). You could spend a week doing penetration dives on the Sara and never see the same thing.

But, I was up for a different sort of adventure on my latest trip to Bikini Atoll.

I had thought about working on a photogrammetry model of the wreck but that was too daunting for one person, the poor visibility we had, and because I would probably only get 4-5 dives on the wreck.

I spent some time with Craig Johnson and we came up with the idea of documenting the various airplanes that are in the vicinity of the Saratoga. He mentioned that he recently visited one of them that is rarely seen and it seemed to be a float plane even though none of those had been recorded as being on the deck when the Saratoga sank.

Challenge accepted…

(NB: Coincidentally, Bradley Sheard had gone on a similar mission a couple months prior to my trip. We have done a lot of collaboration on this post and, with his permission, I have included some of his photos and research in the post below. He has done a ton of research and also documented the airplanes that were in the hanger deck during the testing. His web page with the information he gathered is here and I highly recommend reading it: http://www.bradsheard.com/bikiniaircraft.html).

Background

The following photo shows the Saratoga with airplanes and vehicles strapped down to the deck before she was sank during the Baker test. It was apparently taken on 1 May 1946while she was underway to Bikini. This is NOT the plane configuration right before the tests (see below for that).

Based upon the way the wings are folded in the picture above, the first five planes are TBM Avengers and I know there were also Helldivers.

As I was working on my project, Craig mentioned that somebody had also recently been photographing the different airplanes but this diver had been on the other boat that goes to Bikini so they had not met in person. It turned out Brad Sheard (Mentioned above). Craig got a draft document from him and shared it with me on my trip and he also helped explain to me to where the airplanes were located.

Brad’s diagram that shows the type and location of the airplanes on the deck of the Saratoga before the Baker test is below:

There were a Helldiver and TBM on the stern fantail and 2 x TBMs and 2 x Hellcats amidships.

Brad also created a very detailed PDF of his findings which is below and a very good read.

Wreck Location Diagram

I created a diagram of where the airplanes are that I built photogrammetry models for. Note that locations are approximate and the numbering of them is random and mostly based upon the order in which I dove them.

After I returned, I realized that Brad had found yet another airplane that is partially under the Saratoga and right near the starboard gun turret at the bow. I have included it on the diagram above for completeness (Plane #7 (or 6b)); however, I do not have pictures or a photogrammetry model of it. Brad does have a few photos on his site and I included a thumbnail above.

Another note is that all of the aircraft had tall whip coral growing on them. While this makes for beautiful pictures, it wreaks havoc for photogrammetry and you can see the results in a lot of the models. I’ve cleaned up a bunch, but it also represents the actual environment. 🙂

Quick Guide

Here are links to each section for each aircraft to make it easier to navigate to specific wrecks.

Location	Type	Screen Capture
Airplane #1 Port Stern	TBM Avenger
Airplane #2 Port Bow	Kingfisher
Airplane #3 Starboard Bow	Helldiver
Airplane #4 Starboard Bow	TBM Avenger
Airplane #5 Port Amidships	Helldiver
Airplane #6 Port Bow	Helldiver (Tail Only)
Airplane #7 Starboard Bow	Helldiver	See Brad’s Site for Photos

Airplane 1 – TBM Avenger

The wreck is off the port side stern area of the Saratoga. The engine is broken off in front of the airplane and one of the props is sticking up out of the sand. The airplane is identifiable as a TBM Avenger due to the location, size, and pattern of the break in the wing where it folds up for an aircraft carrier (circled in one of the screenshots below). Also, the landing gear and the support structure for the glass in the front of the cockpit help identify it.

Online Model Links

This model consists of 1,018 photos.



Model Overview & Screncaptures

One of the key identifiers is the shape of the folding wing and the frame struts of the cockpit windshield at the front (circled in red in the screen captures below).

Model Photos

Below are photos taken during the process to build the model. As mentioned above, there are a lot of whip coral on these wrecks which makes for dramatic pictures.

Airplane #2 – Kingfisher

This is probably the most interesting airplane wreck since a Kingfisher airplane was NOT present on the USS Saratoga at the time of the blast.

Before I dove the wreck, Craig Johnson said that he thought it was some kind of floatplane and they “had some theories, but it would be good to get a photogrammetry model.”

Sure enough, the minute I saw the wreck, I concurred with the assessment about some kind of floatplane. There appeared to be either part of a wing float or possibly the main float. Given the shape of a “hull” there was no doubt it was some sort of float plane that landed on the water. The wreck is a little hard to “figure out” until you look from the top down on the section with the wing and realize that it is a cross-section of the main fuselage with a wing on either side (with one wing mostly clipped off). You can also discern the slight wing dihedral (upwards angle) shortly after the point where the wing attaches to the fuselage.

Brad Sheard has done some excellent research to discover that only two types of smaller floatplanes were in the lagoon during the time of the tests (neither of which was present on the Saratoga). The first is a OS2U Kingfisher and the other is a Curtiss (X)SC-1 Seahwawk. Note that both had wings that angled upwards. However, one key difference is that on the Seahawk, it looks like the root of the wing sticks out further from the fuselage compared to the Kingfisher.

Below is a comparison of the two along with a screen capture of the model at that location.

Brad also did some research and discovered that there were two Kingfisher aircraft on the USS Nevada which was near the center of the Able blast and both were demolished during the test and were “jettisoned.” The Saratoga was moved prior to the second Baker test and was located near the Nevada for the Baker test. Our theory is that this Kingfisher is from the Nevada.

Online Model Links

This model consists of 599 images

Model Overview & Screencaptures

The floatplane structure is pretty obvious in these models. Once you get the orientation correct, you can also see the shape of the wing and the fuselage (see top left below where the float is “behind” the fuselage and wing and the rounded canopy is at the top). Based on the size, the structure must be the main float and not a wing float.

Photos

Airplane 3 – Helldiver

The Helldiver was a carrier-based dive bomber that supplemented and replaced the SBD Dauntless. This Helldiver wreck is off the Starboard bow of the Saratoga and is one of two airplanes in that area. There is a third that is right under the guns and it largely crushed but I was unaware of this other aircraft and didn’t get a chance to visit it. I’ve referred to this as “Plane #7.” I guess I’ll have to go back. 🙂

The wreck is about 100-150′ away from the Saratoga, is the “forward most” of the two wrecks, faces away from the ship and is upside down. As Brad describes on his website, there were two Helldivers and two TBM Avengers amidships on the deck of the Saratoga before the Baker test. This plane and the adjacent TBM are obviously from that group and were thrown off during the Baker explosion.

The airplane itself is upside down and is mostly intact. The tail section is “twisted” off the main fuselage. The port landing gear is sticking straight up into the air while the starboard one is collapsed onto the wing. It is clear that this is a Helldiver from a number of different features: landing gear that folds inward, four bladed prop, and most definitive, the coral-encrusted round holes in the trailing wing airbrakes. You can also see two 500 lb bombs inside the bomb bay.

Online Model Links

This model has 805 photos.

Model	Screen Capture / Link
Plane #3 Low Resolution / Mobile Version
Plane #3 High Resolution / Desktop Version

Model Overview & Screencaptures

Below you can see the round holes in the airbrake, the bomb bay doors open with bombs inside, and the four bladed prop.

Photos

If you look closely in the photos below, you can see the holes in the air brakes and a 20mm cannon sticking out of the wing. I’ve also included various other photos taken during the dive in order to make the model.

Airplane 4 – TBM Avenger

This wreck is only about 50 feet away from the Helldiver mentioned above.

Most of the wreck is upside down. It is twisted aft of the cockpit area with the tail section lying on the starboard side with the tail stabilizer sticking straight up. In the main fuselage section, you can see the two landing gears sticking straight up with one of the tires on the starboard side near the slot in the wing where it would be when stored. The torpedo bomb doors are mostly closed. Near the rear section, you can see the tail landing gear. The other interesting characteristic of the wreck is the “likely” fuel pod on the port wing. If you look closely, you can also see the radio operator’s seat (in between the pilot and the rear gunner) near where the fuselage is twisted.

Online Model Links

This model consists of 677 photos.

Model	Screen Capture / Link
Plane #4 Low Resolution / Mobile Version
Plane #4 High Resolution / Desktop Version



Model Overview & Screencaptures

Unfortunately, the photos for this model were all underexposed, resulting in a “darker” image compared to the other models. At some point, I might put them all into Lightroom and increase the exposure but not planning that anytime soon.

Below you can see details of the three bladed prop, torpedo bomb bay doors, the fuel pod, and the rear stabilizer & landing gear.

Photos

Airplane 5 – Helldiver

This wreck is somewhat close to plane #1. It is about 100′ feet away to the southwest of that wreck. It was the last wreck that I visited on my tour. The engine is missing (it might be nearby, but given the direction it faces, I think it would have been in the path I took to visit it). I also looked around a bit but couldn’t find it.

The plane is upside right and you can see the obvious holes in the airbrakes on both wings. They aren’t as encrusted as the other Helldiver (Plane #3). The starboard side wing is nearly intact other than the flaps on the outer trailing edge. The port side wing is cut off about halfway down the wing. It looks like part of it might be buried in the sand. The fuselage behind the cockpit area is largely missing.

It also looks like the cockpit “exploded” outward based upon the area behind the pilots seat which might just be from the fuselage being ripped and torqued off of the front.

Online Model Links

This model consists of 931 images.

Model	Screen Capture / Link
Plane #5 Low Resolution / Mobile Version
Plane #5 High Resolution / Desktop Version



Model Overview and Screencaptures

In the screen captures below, you can clearly see the airbrakes on the trailing edge of the wings.

Photos

Some key highlights are in the pictures below including the 20mm gun on the port wing, the pilot’s seat, and the holes in the flaps indicative of a dive bomber,

Airplane 6 – Helldiver

This one was a real challenge to figure out. Brad and I went back and forth multiple times and “pressure tested” our theories. It changed back-and-forth between a Hellcat and a Helldiver. With only a small tail section to use for identification, it isn’t easy.

There were a lot of reasons to believe either theory but there were four key features that make us believe it is a Helldiver.

Feature 1: Horizontal Stabilizer

For a long time, we both thought that this was the tail and not a horizontal stabilizer. If it was a tail, the shape would point more towards a Hellcat. The photogrammetry model allowed us to pivot and move the shape around until we realized that the long flat edge is probably part of the horizontal stabilizer where it meets the elevator. That shape matches a Helldiver. Brad made an overlay of a screen capture from my photogrammetry model and the outline of a Helldiver:

Here are a couple other views of it:

Feature 2: Landing Gear

From some angles, the landing gear looks like there is a “flap” that would indicate a retractable landing gear that a Hellcat would have. From another angle, it looks more like a fairing and would indicate a fixed landing gear that a Helldiver would have. If you look at the diagram above, the shape and position of the landing gear exactly matches that of a Helldiver. The connection between the wheel and the axle also matches.

Feature 3: Horizontal fuselage line

This was probably the proverbial lynchpin that convinced us it was a Helldiver. One of the powerful tools of photogrammetry is that you can look at things from different angles. Here are two views of the same tail section:

Note how in the left screen capture the rear part of the fuselage looks rounded. If you took a static picture of this view for later analysis, you might completely miss that it is actually “flat” as shown on the right. When you compare the construction of the Helldiver and Hellcat, it is obvious that this must be from a Helldiver. Below are schematics of the Helldiver on the left and Hellcat on the right.

Feature 4: Tail Wheel Fairing Holes

Fortunately, Brad lives near the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum where they have a Helldiver. He went and did some further research and noticed that the Helldiver tail wheel fairing had some holes in it. The four pictures below left-to-right and top-to-bottom are: (1) Brad’s photo from the museum (2) A screen capture of the model (3) A photo I took and (4) a photo from Brad when he was there in April.

It is also interesting to see the growth that has happened in the 2-3 months between our visits. Brad’s picture shows the holes a lot more clearly than mine as there appears to be more growth (the angles are slightly different).

Conclusion: Helldiver.

The only real question left is whether this is the tail section from Plane #7 which is onthe starboard side and is clearly the front section of a Helldiver. We both believe that it likely is (hence my labeling of Plane #6 and Plane #7 or #6b)

Online Model Links

This model consists of 105 images.

Model	Screen Capture / Link
Plane #6 Low Resolution / Mobile Version
Plane #6 High Resolution / Desktop Version

Model Overview & Screencaptures

I think the key feature to identifying this type of airplane is the rear landing gear. I’ve included some screen captures of that area along with a few others.

Photos

Conclusion

I believe that we have located 5 of the 6 aircraft that were on the deck (2 of the 3 TBMs and all 3 of the Helldivers) and one TBM is “missing” (likely from the amidships group). In addition, we have located a Kingfisher that was probably on the USS Nevada or possibly the USS Salt Lake City and what appears to be a tail section from a Hellcat.

References

http://www.bradsheard.com/bikiniaircraft.html