Page 12 THE SUNDAY MAIL, ESCAPE January 16, 2011 thesundaymail.com.au THE SUNDAY MAIL, ESCAPE January 16, 2011 Page 13

Dive into historysets record straightBeneath the waters ofPNG’s CollingwoodBay, Roderick Eimehelps solve a 67-year-old mystery

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: (Clockwise from left) Tufi warriors in ceremonial garb; the Flying Fortress BlackJack; the B-25’s upper turret; the crew of Pistoff in Port Moresby; and an advertisement for the B-25 bomber.

LOOK-ALIKE: A restoredaircraft identical to Pistoff.

THE battered plane had brought themthis far, enough to escape enemyterritory, but the flight was over. Withhis plane riddled with bullet holes, oneengine out and no fuel, 26-year-old USArmy pilot LieutenantWilliam‘‘Casey’’ Lett from Indiana scanned thecoastline for smooth water.

The flight to Lae was – for the crew ofB-25 41-12830 Pistoff – a nail-bitingbomb run on Japanese troops unloadingin Lae, and they had copped a spray of

fire from five defending Zero fighters.On half power, they couldn’t cross backover the towering Owen Stanley RangestoMoresby so headed east along PapuaNewGuinea’s ragged coastline in searchof safe haven.

‘‘We’re going in!’’ called Lett and thesevenmen held on and drew breath.With wheels up and the remaining propfeathered, they hit the water asdelicately as Lett could manage. Amid agut-wrenching din of tearing metal and

shattering plexiglas, the nose caved inand a huge spray of water engulfed theplane. Apart from bombardier Gus Rau,who had struck his head, all weremercifully uninjured.

As water poured in, the menmanagedto launch their life raft but villagers fromnearby Ayuman were already paddlingto their rescue.

Thanks to the villagers and a smallgroup of Australian troops campednearby, the crew of Pistoff all found theirway back to base. But the poor plane’swar was over and in just five minutes ithad settled into a watery grave andoblivion.

Fast forward 65 years and SebastianfromAyuman is chasing turtles in thesilty water off his little village. As a bigturtle flees his spear, Sebastian noticesthe shape of a plane in the depths. Thestory of the crash and rescue has beenforgotten over the decades and the findis reported to US authorities.

After sifting through wartime records

of the 38th BombGroup (TheSunsetters), officials are reminded thatthe precise whereabouts of 41-12830remains unknown. ‘‘Somewhere nearBuna,’’ reads the record, some 200kmwest of our search.

Now I’monmy own little mission,bouncing across the choppy waters ofCollingwood Bay en route to Ayuman ina runabout with dive crew Archie andAlex, from nearby Tufi Dive Resort. Thefew remaining veterans from the 38thBombGroup Association are keen to fillthe gaps in their records and I’m taskedwith positively identifying the wreck bylocating one of the few serial codes onthe aircraft that can conclusively rule offthis chapter.

We’re met by Sebastian and a smallflotilla of canoes which gather about uswhile Alex goes below to secure theboat. As finder of the wreck, Sebastian isnow its custodian and I’ve already beenmade aware of the villagers’ intention ofvigorously preserving it. Luckily

Sebastian is Archie’s brother-in-law andthe discussions, while earnest andbusinesslike, are positive.

A bright orange diver’s ‘‘sausage’’pops to the surface and we’re clear to godown.

The water is murky and darkfrom the recent heavy rainand slowly the shape of theMitchell bomber revealsitself. First the uppergun turret with its two

50-calibre machineguns, then thecockpit and finally the rest of thefuselage and signature twin tail.

I’mdiving with a lightened belt tokeep me off the silty bottom and I pick

over the forward part of thefuselage with my fins hoveringabove me. The aluminiumsurface is covered by military-grade algae and layers ofmarine growth.

Like cars, all aircraft leave

the factory with a stamped plateshowing model and serial numbers andour search for it is proving frustrating. Isend slightly built Archie into thecramped fuselage and he starts handingme back all kinds of loose items; aGrimesModel K-8 hand-held

searchlight, a Stanley Super Vacflask and a clip with five riflebullets. We bring these to thesurface to show Sebastian,change tanks and take somephotos.

As I haul myself into theboat, Sebastian hands me abarnacle-encrustedmetalbox. It’s clearly a piece ofradio equipment one of

them had salvaged wellbefore our arrival. An ID

plate is affixed to the top of thebox and I scrub away at the growth toreveal its purpose. Radio Control Box,Bendix Corporation, Signal Corps USArmy and . . . wait . . . what’s this?

A serial number is hand-stamped intoa little panel: ‘‘5052’’. Each aircraft hasa unique identifier on its radio and thiswill be enough to confirm Pistoff’s trueidentity.

Archie hauls anchor and finds, to ourgreat amusement, that Alex had tied therope to a loose machinegun lying next tothe wreck. After some fun and photos,we return all items to the wreck andhead home.

Nearly 70 years on and Papua NewGuinea is still reluctantly giving up itswar secrets. Crashed aircraft, sunkenships and the remains of soldiers missingin action are still being recovered to thisday.

Tufi Dive Resort in Oro Province isperfectly located on the tip of a glorioustropical fjord. Itself a wartime PT boatbase with its own history and artefacts, itis one of PNG’s best-known divelocations with access to numerouspristine coral reefs and wrecks includingthe well-documented B-17 Flying

Fortress, Black Jack, lying at 45m acrossCollingwood Bay.

Lonely Pistoff, forgotten for morethan half a century, now joins theirrepertoire of dive sites.

Tufi is also famed for its brilliantcultural experience. Local villagersengage visitors with vivid displays ofdance, ritual and ceremony at least onpar with anything else in the country.

The coastal residents of this wild landare ethnically diverse from their highlandcousins and separated by hundreds ofunique languages. They are polite andgentle and well-organised tourism iscritical in helping themmaintain theircolourful traditions.The author was a guest of TourismPNG, Tufi Dive Resort and PacificBlue.Thanks to the men of the 38thBomb Group Association, SimonTewson and Justin Taylan ofpacificwrecks.org for their help insolving this mystery.

Wish youwere here

Doing thereTufi Dive Resort is in Oro Province and ashort domestic flight from PortMoresby. Rates begin at $A145 aperson, twin share, a night includingall meals.

Activities include cultural shows,deep-sea fishing, kayaking, trekking,snorkelling and scuba diving.See www.tufi-experience.com

Getting therePacific Blue flies direct from Brisbane toPort Moresby on Mondays,Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.Check out www.flypacificblue.comfor current specials, bookings andall your travel needs.

Morewww.sunsetters38bg.comwww.pacificwrecks.orgwww.pngtourism.org.pg

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