Conference Agenda

On April 11, 1944, a Bell P-39Q Airacobra single-seat fighter aircraft flown by a Tuskegee Airman crashed in Lake Huron during a World War II training exercise. The pilot, Lt. Frank H. Moody, was killed in the accident, and the aircraft remained undiscovered until 2014 when divers happened upon the wreckage. Located on State of Michigan Bottomlands, the aircraft is owned and managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Over the last decade dozens of individuals, institutions, agencies and volunteers have converged on lower Lake Huron with the goal of finding, recording, recovering, conserving and exhibiting the remains of the aircraft. Ongoing efforts are helping to preserve the stories of the Tuskegee Airmen and their presence over the Great Lakes.

The archaeological documentation and recovery of a highly fragmented World War II Tuskegee Airplane requires a collaboration of varying expertise as well as adaptations of traditional methodologies. Submerged in Lake Huron, this plane wreck presents unique challenges. Ensuring diver safety is paramount throughout this operation, which integrates a range of remote sensing and recovery methodologies. Acoustic surveys via hull-mounted systems, tow fish, and AUVs, along with visual surveys using ROVs, tow boards, and circle searches, provide initial documentation without diver exposure. Strict dive planning, clear communication protocols, and equipment suited to variable depths and currents reinforces safety during this operation. Recovery techniques—from milk crate lifts to large-scale barge operations—are carefully managed to prevent hazards. This multidisciplinary approach highlights the essential role of tailored safety practices in the successful and respectful recovery of historic military wrecks, particularly those with significant cultural and historical value.

This study investigates the application of multi-image photogrammetry for generating detailed 2D archaeological documentation of submerged and terrestrial aviation heritage sites in Michigan. We demonstrate how high-resolution orthomosaics and rectified imagery, derived from photogrammetric datasets, serve as invaluable products for archaeological analysis and reporting. Case studies involve the documentation of a Martin B-26 Marauder, which served ‘Free French’ during WWII training, and a Bell P-39Q Airacobra in Lake Huron associated with Tuskegee Airman Lt. Frank Moody. The study also focuses on two remote-controlled aircraft: the Taylor LBT-1 “Glomb,” and a Naval Aircraft Factory TDN in Lake Michigan. These 2D products, often enhanced through software like Adobe Photoshop to produce detailed site maps, prove crucial for spatial recording and effective communication of archaeological findings, illustrating the utility for photogrammetry beyond its conventional 3D applications.

On 11 April 1944, a United States Army Air Force P-39Q, flown by 2^nd Lt. Frank Heman Moody of the Tuskegee Airmen, crashed in southern Lake Huron. Hundreds of aircraft components located on the bottom of Lake Huron are being mapped and recovered by maritime and aviation archaeologists in Michigan. Artifacts are tagged, photographed, sketched, and mapped on the lake floor. Following recovery, all artifacts brought aboard the research vessels were immediately catalogued, triaged, photographed, and prepared for transport to conservation facilities. Artifacts recovered from the wreck site included ammunition, aluminum fragments, and engine parts required different methods of materials identification, description, and occasionally isolation, focused on maintaining site data integrity and stabilization of fragile objects. Gaps in documentation are identified following each dive so missing data can be collected on subsequent dives.

Although the marine magnetometer has been an integral tool to locate submerged shipwreck sites, the use for locating submerged aircraft with a marine magnetometer has been minimal due to their typically minimal use of ferrous material. Over the past few years, remote sensing surveys have been conducted at multiple submerged aircraft sites from around the world. The sites themselves varied from in-tact single occupancy aircraft to debris fields. This paper dissects the results of these surveys evaluating the survey parameters and recorded signatures.. Additionally, this paper continues the discussion of appropriate survey planning and interpretation approaches to assist in future efforts to locate submerged aircraft.