Legendary "Tulsamerican" WWII bomber discovered

A sunken World War II aircraft was discovered in the waters off the island of Vis in 2010. The location of the discovery was not surprising given that Vis was the site of an Allied airfield. US archives contain data on 15 aircraft that were shot down in the immediate vicinity of the island. The B-24 Liberator heavy bomber is the second aircraft found in the waters off Vis. It was located at a depth of 41 metres. The forward fuselage and wings, including the engines, have been preserved, while the tail has been separated from the rest of the aircraft. The B-24 bomber had a 33-metre wingspan, and a 20-metre long fuselage. It was armed with 10 12.7 calibre M2 Browning machine guns. Based on the condition of the wreck the research team of the Croatian Conservation Institute's Department of Underwater Archaeology, working with outside associates, had already established the possibility that this might be a special find — the last Liberator manufactured at the Douglas factory in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, subsequently named the "Tulsamerican".

By the end of the exploration this was in fact confirmed with the discovery and cleaning of the identification plate. It was then determined that the craft was the B-24 J "Tulsamerican," bearing serial number 42-51430, famed during its active life and covered by the press right up to its final mission. The "Tulsamerican" was attached to the 765th Squadron of the 461st Bomb Group, and flew her last mission on December 17th, 1944.

Danijel Frka, Igor Miholjek