Can anyone i.d. the plane in this photo?

Darren in NC · Sep 15, 2011

I was sent this photo in a generic email. I was curious if anyone recognized the plane and location. If you know the photographer, please let me know as all the photos in the email were uncredited. Cool pic!

allan · Sep 15, 2011

I found a link to a forum where it was being discussed here http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f47/unique-sailboat-airplane-photo-30023.html

allen_idaho · Sep 15, 2011

The photograph was taken in the Shortland islands north of New Guinea in the Solomon Sea. The aircraft was a japanese float plane from World War 2.

The ship in question is the "Freydis". A private yacht. The photo was taken during a 6-week trip through the solomon islands.

Info can be found here:
http://www.murraymitchell.com/2011/06/view-of-sunken-japanese-plane-from-ww2/

But I do not know who took the picture originally.

Mackaydon · Sep 15, 2011

Image appears to show the inboard flaps extended; ditching at sea??

stevemc · Sep 16, 2011

The link said the float plane was sunk while it was at anchor, so the flaps would have been extended for its landing. It doesnt look to have any coral growth on it. Strange after almost 70 years of sitting in an area that has a lot of coral. Although maybe aluminum doesnt get much growth on it from the planes I have seen out here. Maybe it is like lead which wont get any growth on it at all.

pcolaboy · Sep 16, 2011

Looks like a US Navy Avenger to me.

barney · Sep 16, 2011

You would be surprised in how well aluminum holds up in warm saltwater. Attached is an image of a Betty bomber in Truk Lagoon - lots of clean, shiny metal....

BeginAgain · Sep 16, 2011

Darren in NC said:
I was sent this photo in a generic email. I was curious if anyone recognized the plane and location. If you know the photographer, please let me know as all the photos in the email were uncredited. Cool pic!

Definitely a military plane from the 1930s-1940s era. You might want to try to find online those old WWII playing cards or flashcards they used to distribute to ground forces and sailors to aid them in recognizing friendly and enemy planes by their silhouettes from various angles.
http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/aircraft_spotting_cards.htm

allen_idaho · Sep 16, 2011

It looks to me like an Aicha E16A with it's floats missing. Notice the straight forward edge of the wings.

Darren in NC · Sep 16, 2011

Nice call, Allen. I think you're spot on or very close. The wing pattern certainly matches. I figured it was Japanese (since the post called for it), but I couldn't find the right float plane. I also think the plane may still have have her floats as depicted in the lower picture, but they shifted when she crashed or just deteriorated over time. The wingtips seem to be missing as well.

The only thing that makes me wonder about it being another model is the cigar shaped nose versus the flat nose on the Aicha E16A1.

sphillips · Sep 16, 2011

Hard to tell if flaps are extended, with ailerons missing, flaps are accentuated

stevemc · Sep 17, 2011

There are quite a few straight forward edge Japanese floatplanes form WW2. The weird thing is the article said 3 passenger or 3 seat, most if not all were 2 seat. Maybe they just thought it was a 3 seater. It would be real hard to say which model it is without looking at how many cylinders, style of engine, position of tail, fixed pitch or CW/CCW counter rotating or variable pitch prop, what armament, etc. Cool picture though!

Darren in NC · Sep 17, 2011

Well said, Steve. I did a little more research and the Aichi E16A1 Allen and I posted above (codenamed "Paul") was a 2-seater. It replaced the more numerous Aichi E13A seaplane, codenamed "Jake." I dismissed the Aichi E13A earlier due to the rounded look her wings had. But after finding out she was a three-seater, I looked at her diagrams a little closer. Her front edge design wasn't as rounded as she first appeared. I removed the wingtips and ailerons from the diagram and she's pretty much a perfect match. After taking a closer look at the plane in the water, you can actually see where her front edge begins to curve on the ends. Of course, nothing is conclusive until a diver verifies her make and model. She was one of the most common three-seated seaplanes used by the Japanese.

BeginAgain · Sep 17, 2011

Darren in NC said:
Well said, Steve. I did a little more research and the Aichi E16A1 Allen and I posted above (codenamed "Paul") was a 2-seater. It replaced the more numerous Aichi E13A seaplane, codenamed "Jake." I dismissed the Aichi E13A earlier due to the rounded look her wings had. But after finding out she was a three-seater, I looked at her diagrams a little closer. Her front edge design wasn't as rounded as she first appeared. I removed the wingtips and ailerons from the diagram and she's pretty much a perfect match. After taking a closer look at the plane in the water, you can actually see where her front edge begins to curve on the ends. Of course, nothing is conclusive until a diver verifies her make and model. She was one of the most common three-seated seaplanes used by the Japanese.

Absolutely fascinating Darren. That looks to be spot on.
On a random note, how useful is aerial observing/photography in locating shipwreck sites i.e. ballast piles and such in Florida? I'm looking to move to the Treasure Coast in a few weeks to finish a degree online at UWF in Maritime Studies and I just happen to be a Paramotor pilot with my own equipment including a single as well as a tandem wing. Very low cost to operate, very low altitude and very slow speeds is the name of the game, might be useful I don't know. Maybe someone with an ongoing salvage operation could use me once I move out there? I'd love to work with a salvage crew and get experience any way I can while in school. Since classes are all online, I'd have a ton of free time available.