The document describes the recovery of a B-25 bomber from Lake Murray, South Carolina between 2005-2010. It provides details on the planning and execution of the recovery operation, including attaching lines to the aircraft, setting up a four point mooring system, and using lift bags to raise the 22,000 pound plane. The project involved many volunteers and overcame challenges like a hurricane to ultimately succeed in recovering the historic aircraft largely intact for preservation and public education.

1. Make
sure
sound
is
off
for
this
presenta2on.
1

2. The
Dooli8le
Raid,
on
18
April
1942,
was
the
first
air
raid
by
the
United
States
to
strike
the
Japanese
Home
Islands
(specifically
Honshu)
during
World
War
II.
By
demonstra2ng
that
Japan
itself
was
vulnerable
to
American
air
a8ack,
it
provided
a
vital
morale
boost
and
opportunity
for
U.S.
retalia2on
aQer
the
Japanese
a8ack
on
Pearl
Harbor
on
7
December
1941.
The
raid
was
planned
and
led
by
Lieutenant
Colonel
James
"Jimmy"
Dooli8le.
2

3. Skip
bombing
was
a
low-­‐level
bombing
technique
developed
by
Italian
pilot
Giuseppe
Cenni
flying
German
Junkers
Ju
87
Stuka
aircraQ
during
a8acks
on
Allied
ships
off
the
coast
of
North
Africa,
between
May
and
October
of
1941.
AQer
Pearl
Harbor
(December
1941),
it
was
used
against
Imperial
Japanese
Navy
warships
and
transports
by
Major
William
Benn
of
the
63rd
Squadron,
43rd
Bomb
Group
(Heavy),
FiQh
Air
Force,
United
States
Army
Air
Forces
in
the
Southwest
Pacific
area
theater
during
World
War
II.
General
George
Kenney
has
been
credited
with
being
the
first
to
use
skip
bombing
with
the
U.S.
Air
Force.
3

4. Fallon had 228 flight hours, 32 hours in B-25s, 20 hours in the B-25C
He was cited as being 95% responsible for the accident, the faulty engine was 5%
responsible.
The engine failure occurred at 500 ft agl.- with such low experience, was he unfairly
blamed?
4

5. Prop
strike
on
right
side
from
engine
that
was
opera2onal
when
it
was
ditched
5

6. Dr. Seigler began search in 1989
1993 paperwork filed by Hodge, JD
The B-25 was a rare bird, a time capsule that had not been disturbed.
Thus, it was determined that it would be displayed indoors, not flown, and preserved
in its original WWII state, and placed in a venue open to the public to teach future
generations history of WWII and the region’s contribution to the war effort.
In 1999 the Lake Murray B-25 Rescue Project, Inc. founded. Dr. Vartorella
fundraising
efforts
In 2004 the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, AL expressed interest
6

7. Bill Vartorella, Bob Seigler, & John Hodge with Explorers Club Flag #103
Awarded Order of the Palmetto in 2008.
7

8. Sent
email
to
WKPP
list
looking
for
divers
Dennis
Hazerli,
Stefan
Koenemann
and
Thomas
M.
Iliffe.
2010.
Cryptocorynetes
elmorei,
a
new
species
of
Remipedia
(Crustacea)
from
an
anchialine
cave
on
Eleuthera,
Bahamas.
Marine
Biodiversity.
Volume
40,
Number
2,
71-­‐78,
DOI:
10.1007/s12526-­‐009-­‐0033-­‐4
h8p://www.springerlink.com/content/
r67155192n6w1v21/
Died
from
brain
cancer
in
2008
8

9. Planning
from
what
we
knew…
150ffw
and
30+
min
bo8om
2me
18/45
vs.
21/35
trimix
-­‐
mar2ni’s
law
-­‐
Pulmonary
oxygen
toxicity
100
vs.
50/50
–
discussion
of
deco
plan.
Give
RRR:
8967
for
2010
research
answer
to
the
ques2on:
Walker
JR,
Hobbs
GW,
Gault
KA,
Howle
LE,
Freiberger
JJ.
2010
Decompression
risk
analysis
comparing
Oxygen
and
50%
Nitrox
decompression
stops.
Undersea
and
Hyperbaric
Medicine.
h8p://archive.rubicon-­‐founda2on.org/8967
Commercial
vs.
Volunteers
–
OSHA
concerns
9

10. Commercial
spot
for
show:
h8p://www.history.com/shows/mega-­‐movers-­‐archived/
videos/b-­‐25-­‐bomber-­‐rescued
##Thanks
to
Dr.
Segal
for
the
Camtasia
screen
capture
10

11. 09/10/2005
–
Start
of
project
11

12. Dive
plaporm
was
home
to
many
Gary
Larkins
–
This
was
69th
plane
recovered
by
Larkins
and
his
pirates
12

13. Dive
one
goals
were
to
a8ach
lines
to
mark
front
and
rear
of
aircraQ
13

14. Barge
moved
out
to
site
Anchors
and
cables
a8ached
to
form
“four
point
mooring”
14

15. Video
from
Modern
Marvels
–
Deep
Sea
Salvage
–
Four
point
mooring
15

16. Lots
of
gear,
space
was
a
premium.
(stored
in
shade
under
compressors)
16

17. 22,000
lb
plane
17

18. Top
leQ:
used
pvc
to
pass
straps
under
wing
Overcoming
fear…
“You
want
us
to
do
what?”
Bo8om
leQ:
barrel
to
engine
mounts,
line
to
bo8om
of
barrel,
sand
down
lines
while
we
wait
Top
right:
2,000
lb
liQ
bag.
Drain
located
on
top
(example
of
size
based
on
something
in
the
room)
18

19. First
dive…
Wheel
wells
on
compressors
=
awesome.
Equipment
standardiza2on.
There
is
a
plane
under
here?
19

20. Photo
taken
in
shallow
water
of
silt
at
probably
least
silt
depth.
Up
to
head
in
some
places
trying
to
trace
edges
of
plane.
20

21. Hurricane
Ophelia
was
the
fiQeenth
named
tropical
cyclone
and
the
eighth
hurricane
of
the
2005
Atlan2c
hurricane
season.
It
was
a
long-­‐lived
storm
that
was
most
remembered
for
its
very
erra2c
and
extremely
slow
track
off
the
East
Coast
of
the
United
States,
alterna2ng
several
2mes
between
tropical
storm
and
hurricane
intensity.
21

22. Winching
barge
deeper
into
water
to
overcome
suc2on
22

23. Buoy
lines
for
depth
Pneuma2c
winches
(no
hydraulic
fluid)
23

24. Barge
overcame
suc2on
and
plane
off
the
bo8om.
Divers
sent
in
for
evalua2on
of
plane
(did
the
suc2on
tear
it
apart?)
24

25. Whole
project
is
dynamic
environment,
objects
floa2ng
In
addi2on
to
gas
powered
air
compressors
being
contamina2on
risk,
lines
could
catch
ar2facts
25

26. ShiQing
while
divers
on
evalua2on
dive,
Rt
engine
not
there
26

27. Divers
separate
and
clear
wreck,
deploy
up
lines
Missed
deco
–
surface
breathing
of
O2
Team
Med
procedures
-­‐ Medical
histories
available
for
every
diver
-­‐ Es2mated
transit
2me
to
chamber
between
1
and
1.5
hours
(O2
on
hand
for
4
hour
transit)
-­‐ Chamber
staff
briefed
on
profiles
(pulmonary
oxygen
toxicity
low
in
case
of
treatment
table
6)
-­‐ Dick
Clarke
runs
facility
in
Columbia
–
Hx
as
early
satura2on
diver
and
researcher
27

28. Av
Gas
DUI
zip
seals
were
new
so
we
had
none.
June
2011
they
came
out
with
silicone
seals
Knee
pads
–
“who
dives
on
their
knees?”,
never
wanted
them
before
now.
Would
have
been
nice
op2on
to
have
had
for
this
project
28

29. Video
from
Hx
Channel
Mega
Movers
How
the
plane
looked
when
it
was
in
shallower
water.
Thermoclines
and
silt…
29

30. Opera2onal
losses
LeQ
prop
Brian’s
40cf
deco
tank
and
reg
30

31. 3:30
am
before
2ed
off
to
barge
My
last
day
of
project
31

32. Cleaning
plane
and
breaking
down
barge
32

33. Surprise!
Expected
broom
handles
Cold
help
with
lack
of
decay
of
aircraQ
33

34. Point
out
screen
to
prevent
ar2fact
loss
34

35. No2ce
change
in
gear
configura2on…
no
mount
the
fuselage…
35

36. Cockpit
separa2on
and
support
for
liQ
36

37. 37

38. 38

39. 39

40. Henry
and
Geraldine
Mascall
Other
crew
all
died
during
WWII
Lucky
hat,
story
of
Henry
going
home
“out
of
uniform”
Videographer’s
luck
hat
and
recovery
Visit
to
Barge
by
“kid”
that
saw
it
ditched
40

41. 41

42. Birmingham,
AL
42

43. Progression
of
cockpit
restora2on
43

44. 44

45. 45

46. 46

47. Diving
Medical
Literature
1/25/16
Gene
Hobbs,
h8p://rubicon-­‐founda2on.org
47
Learned
some
history,
valuable
lessons,
had
some
great
dives,
good
2mes,
found
some
great
ar2facts
and
also
found
love…
(photo
to
far
right)