A B-24 D-1 bomber plane channelise 11 American serviceman was film down over the South Pacific on March 11 , 1944 . For more than 70 year , the last resting place of the aircraft nicknamedHeaven Can Waitand the men it carried remained a whodunit . Now , through the efforts ofProject Recover , it ’s finally been identified .
Project Recover is an organization give to locating the clay of U.S. aircraft that crashed into the ocean during World War II . To find the wreckage of this particular plane , a squad of maritime scientist , archaeologist , and historians worked together to trace its final escape .
Heaven Can Waitwas on its mode to bomb Japanese anti - aircraft batteries around Hansa Bay off the north coast of Papua New Guinea when it move down . Before heading off to Papua New Guinea to survey the area , Project Recover roll up datum on the crash from military reports , diary incoming from airmen on affiliate planes , and pass kinsfolk members .
With that information in manus , the team travel to the surmise clangor internet site and searched a 10 - solid - mile patch of ocean floor with sonar , divers , and aerial and aquatic automaton . It took them 11 day to place the wreckage ofHeaven Can Waitin Hansa Bay , 213 feet beneath the sea ’s surface .
Now that the zep has been found , the U.S. governance will assess the website before potentially recuperate the stiff of the helpless servicemen . “ This is an important step toward our ultimate goal of describe and returning home the crew ofHeaven Can Waitwho courageously served our nation during the battle at Hansa Bay , ” Dan Friedkin , Project Recover team appendage and chairperson and CEO of the Friedkin Group , said in a statement . “ Our search campaign for the more than 72,000 missing American table service members from World War II will continue as we seek to bring resolution to the families impacted by their departure . ”
Watch a video from Project Recover detailing the story ofHeaven Can Waitbelow .
