WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan [Forums - Off Topic]

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BrianCunningham	WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#1
Senior Guru Boston, MA for the most part :) 7763 Posts Member since: 2007/12/30 0:00	http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives ... ash/1524-full.html#201630 Quote: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan A Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter plane that sank more than 60 years ago was lifted from the muddy waters of Lake Michigan on Monday. "Relatively speaking, having been down there since 1945, it's in pretty darn good shape," Mark Kish, a worker for the marine retrieval company, told The Navy Times. The lettering on the side could still be read and gauges in the cockpit were intact, Kish said. The airplane was found in water about 260 feet deep, where it sank after a mishap during a training flight for carrier landings. The pilot of the airplane, Lt. Walter Elcock, survived the crash and is now 89 years old and living in Atlanta. His grandson, Hunter Brawley, was present for the event and was the first to sit in the cockpit. "He told me to look for a pack of Lucky Strikes he left [behind]," Brawley told the Lake County News-Sun. "That's his sense of humor." The airplane will be moved to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Florida, where it will be restored for display. Click here for a video of the recovered airplane on a local news site. Elcock said he remembers the accident like it was yesterday, according to The Daily Mail. During a training landing on the carrier deck, the aircraft's tail hook became entangled in a safety cable, and the airplane went out of control. "My right wing went out from under me and I went over the side," Elcock said. The cable snapped, and Elcock had to escape the cockpit from 10 feet under water. Brawley called his grandfather while sitting in the cockpit, and told him he suspects not many people get to sit in the cockpit of an airplane their grandfather flew. "It's made my year," he said. video http://www.nbcchicago.com/station/as- ... urns_to_Land_Chicago.html
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 14:04
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bogus	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#2
Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah San Pedro, CA 20859 Posts Member since: 2005/9/7 0:00	amazing condition... but Lake Michigan is a cold cold place at 260' down... I am guessing it is not all that oxygenated.
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 16:22
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Matatk	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#3
Webmaster SW Chicago Burbs 22805 Posts Member since: 2008/1/7 0:00	Quote: bogus wrote: amazing condition... but Lake Michigan is a cold cold place at 260' down... I am guessing it is not all that oxygenated. Not even close to Lake Superior - there are bodies down there from ships that sank years and years ago that are still intact. Neat article on the plane, though! Matthew
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 16:30
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Matatk	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#4
Webmaster SW Chicago Burbs 22805 Posts Member since: 2008/1/7 0:00
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 16:31
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cuisinartvette	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#5
Elite Guru 1782 Posts Member since: 2005/9/16 0:00	Cool story, would love to see what else is down there.
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 19:59

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Epimax	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#6
Elite Guru Wilmington, NC 1814 Posts Member since: 2008/12/30 13:16	Wow! Very cool!!
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 20:25

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pianoguy	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#7
Guru Emeritus Apple Valley, MN 14762 Posts Member since: 2007/12/29 0:00	Excellent!
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 22:50
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CentralCoaster	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#8
Senior Guru San Diego, CA 9454 Posts Member since: 2007/10/28 0:00	Question... What's an aircraft carrier doing in Lake Michigan? It's land-locked inside the U.S. We don't have any aircraft carriers in Lake Tahoe.
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 23:00
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BillH	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#9
The Stig Moderator Reno 22702 Posts Member since: 2007/12/25 0:00	Quote: CentralCoaster wrote: We don't have any aircraft carriers in Lake Tahoe. I'll run up and take a look in the morning, just to make sure. We do have a Coast Guard station there but I don't tink they're armed with anything that can carry torpedos.
	Posted on: 2009/12/3 23:54
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Ultraman	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#10
2015 Memorial Day Car Show Winner! Huskerland 14750 Posts Member since: 2009/9/12 19:16	If that was a Harley they pulled out of there, you could have scraped the goo off, put some new fuel in the tank and it would have fired 2nd or 3rd kick.
	Posted on: 2009/12/4 1:08
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Matatk	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#11
Webmaster SW Chicago Burbs 22805 Posts Member since: 2008/1/7 0:00	Quote: Ultraman wrote: If that was a Harley they pulled out of there, you could have scraped the goo off, put some new fuel in the tank and it would have fired 2nd or 3rd kick. Yeah, and then leaked oil all over the deck of that boat.
	Posted on: 2009/12/4 2:41
	_________________ 2002 EBM convertible, Magnusson supercharger, cam, headers, etc. 1989 Corvette...RIP
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Durango_Boy	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#12
Elite Guru Columbia, MO 2583 Posts Member since: 2009/1/30 21:54	Quote: Ultraman wrote: If that was a Harley they pulled out of there, you could have scraped the goo off, put some new fuel in the tank and it would have fired 2nd or 3rd kick. Ironically there is a motorcycle named Hellcat, but it's not made by Harley. http://thekneeslider.com/archives/200 ... -confederate-motorcycles/ Never been a fan of choppers, but this one I like.
	Posted on: 2009/12/4 3:17

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JrRifleCoach	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#13
Elite Guru 1524 Posts Member since: 2005/9/16 0:00	Quote: CentralCoaster wrote: Question... What's an aircraft carrier doing in Lake Michigan? It's land-locked inside the U.S. Check again. Not so. Very common for US Navy warship presence in the Great Lakes during and after the war years. Not much any anymore. Navigation is possible through the Erie Canal and St Lawrence Seaways. As kid I used to go to downtown Detroit and walk on destroyers and subs that were on tours.
	Posted on: 2009/12/4 4:38

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bogus	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#14
Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah San Pedro, CA 20859 Posts Member since: 2005/9/7 0:00	Quote: Matatk wrote: Quote: bogus wrote: amazing condition... but Lake Michigan is a cold cold place at 260' down... I am guessing it is not all that oxygenated. Not even close to Lake Superior - there are bodies down there from ships that sank years and years ago that are still intact. Neat article on the plane, though! Matthew Not even trying to compare... Lake Michigan is more than cold enough at that depth to preserve aluminum.
	Posted on: 2009/12/4 5:47
	_________________ The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me
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BrianCunningham	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#15
Senior Guru Boston, MA for the most part :) 7763 Posts Member since: 2007/12/30 0:00	Quote: CentralCoaster wrote: Question... What's an aircraft carrier doing in Lake Michigan? It's land-locked inside the U.S. We don't have any aircraft carriers in Lake Tahoe. Lake Michigan's not land locked. The tall ships came to Detroit one year. The Carrier was probably built there during the war with the auto plants shut down for war production.
	Posted on: 2009/12/4 15:01
	_________________ Polo Green 95 LT1 6-spd http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevcp74/ 383 LT1/Vortech Supercharger/AFR heads/Rod end suspension/Penske-Hardbar dual rate coilovers/Wilwood 6pot brakes NCCC Governor: http://BayStateCorvetteClub.com
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BrianCunningham	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#16
Senior Guru Boston, MA for the most part :) 7763 Posts Member since: 2007/12/30 0:00	take a look at the life boats they pulled of the Edmund Fitzgerald
	Posted on: 2009/12/4 17:07
	_________________ Polo Green 95 LT1 6-spd http://mysite.verizon.net/vzevcp74/ 383 LT1/Vortech Supercharger/AFR heads/Rod end suspension/Penske-Hardbar dual rate coilovers/Wilwood 6pot brakes NCCC Governor: http://BayStateCorvetteClub.com
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bogus	Re: WWII Hellcat Recovered From Lake Michigan	#17
Grand Imperial Pooh-Bah San Pedro, CA 20859 Posts Member since: 2005/9/7 0:00	Quote: BrianCunningham wrote: Quote: CentralCoaster wrote: Question... What's an aircraft carrier doing in Lake Michigan? It's land-locked inside the U.S. We don't have any aircraft carriers in Lake Tahoe. Lake Michigan's not land locked. The tall ships came to Detroit one year. The Carrier was probably built there during the war with the auto plants shut down for war production. I am sure an Essex class carrier could fit in there.
	Posted on: 2009/12/5 21:35
	_________________ The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place. - George Bernard Shaw Education is the best tool to overcome irrational fear. - me
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