Destroyed Bomber Aircraft from World War II Found Near Biševo, Croatia

There have been about a hundred sunken aircraft, mainly from World War II, found in the Adriatic Sea, while the number of sunken vessels from antiquity to the present day is over a thousand. Since on the island of Vis in 1944 there was an Allied airport with only one runway, while the skies above Vis were full of aircraft waiting to land, sometimes the planes would run out of fuel and end up in the sea, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on January 3, 2016.

Therefore, in the waters around Vis, about 30 aircraft have been found, mainly bombers and fighters from World War II. The latest in a series of discoveries happened in the sea near the southern part of the island, when a diver in 2009 discovered the remains of a B24 heavy bomber (pictured on the photo) at a depth of 39 meters. Croatian Conservation Institute formed a professional team which explored the wreckage. Although the tail with the aircraft serial number has not been found, according to data from the American archives it seems that the plane successfully completed 27 assignments before going down. It fell near Vis in December 1944, with seven out of ten crew members being rescued.

And just when everyone thought that no more aircraft will be found, Siniša Ižaković, an experienced diver and diving instructor and the owner of the ISSA Diving Centre in Komiža, confirmed the news that in waters near Vis another aircraft wreckage, most likely B24, has been recently discovered.

"The information is accurate. Based on an interview with a fishermen from Komiža, last month I dived and found the wreckage of an aircraft at the location on the western side of the island of Biševo, at a depth of 85-90 meters. It is probably a B24 aircraft. Due to poor visibility in the first few minutes I was not even sure if it was an aircraft. Only later did I notice an airplane wing and turned the light on in order to better film the plane. However, that proved to be a mistake and has unfortunately destroyed most of the shots. I am still waiting for the confirmation from experts", Ižaković said.

He also added that next dive is planned for the beginning of the next season, in March or April. After the serial number of the aircraft is found, it will be possible to determine the aircraft's story, who members of the crew were, where did it fly and many other information about its history.

Story and photo:  https://www.total-croatia-news.com