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The
B-29 Historical Timeline |
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| 1938-1940 | Boeing
planning and design work begins for B-29 Superfortress, one of the first
high-altitude bombers used during WWII. |
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| September 1942 | The
first B-29 flies. |
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| September 1945 |
The Lake Mead B-29 (RB-29A 45-21847) is delivered to the Air Force. |
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| July 21, 1948 | Under
the command of Pilot Robert Madison, the B-29 took off from Armitage Field,
China Lake, CA, to test the John Hopkins Sun Tracker. The Sun Tracker
was part of the Upper Atmospheric Air Research Program. On board were
co-pilot Paul Hessler, Flight Engineer David Burns, Scanner Frank Rico,
and Scientist (and Johns Hopkins graduate student) John Simeroth. The
modified The mission profile called for the plane to ascend to 35,000 feet then descend as low as possible while Simeroth took readings using the Sun Tracker. As the plane descended over Lake Mead, Madison apparently lost depth perception above the smooth water. With an indicated air speed of 230 miles per hour, the huge bomber hit the water and skipped for a quarter mile before it settled on the lake and sank. The contact with the lake was catastrophic for the B-29. Three of the four engines were torn off by the impact. The five-man crew scrambled into the plane’s emergency life raft and was rescued five hours later by a group of people from Boulder City, including park rangers. |
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| 1994 and 1997 | The
National Park Service (NPS) in partnership with Department of Energy and
its contractor, Bechtel Nevada, tries to locate the aircraft. The search
was unsuccessful. |
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| Summer 2002 | NPS
learns plane had been found by local divers after unpermitted side-scan
sonar searches. The divers removed artifacts from the crash site for almost
one year. On August 6, 2002, the NPS was notified by a member of the media
that the divers would be holding a news conference that day. |
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| October 2002, June 2003 | The
NPS works with its Submerged Resource Center (SRC) to do a full condition
assessment and site documentation. The SRC team conducted additional inventory
work and analysis, including corrosion and environmental studies, on the
B-29 bomber and site. |
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| August 18, 2003 | NPS
is awarded temporary custodianship of the B-29. |
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| May 2005 | NPS
SRC Team returns to Lake Mead to do additional site documentation and
studies. In partnership with Overton Beach Marina and the Southern Nevada
Scuba Retailer’s Association, the park sets anchors and buoys to
facilitate public access to the plane. Members of the regional dive community
participate in a technical dive and make recommendations to the NPS regarding
how the site should be managed and protected. |
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| June 2005 | US District Court Judge Kent J. Dawson ruled the Historic Aircraft Recovery Corporation failed to meet its burden of proof in their motion for ownership of the B-29 aircraft. The decision clearly states the B-29 was never abandoned by the federal government. The NPS participated in the rescue of the B-29 crew, and has, over the years, claimed ownership of the wreck for the federal government. Additionally, the actions of the National Park Service have not shown any intention to relinquish legal rights to the B-29. The court cited the NPS has demonstrated its interest in the B-29 as an important historical artifact by issuing diving restrictions to protect the aircraft and the site and participating in the determination of eligibility of the aircraft and site for the National Register of Historic Places. The NPS has defended its interest on behalf of the American people, in this, and a previous lawsuit. The court also stated the government has generally-known the location of the crash site since 1948. Additionally, the court agreed with the government’s argument that the wreck is located on a plateau about 160 feet above the bed of the Virgin River on federally-owned land. This is an important point because it maintains the ownership of the aircraft by the federal government for the American people. The court did not agree with the plaintiff that the crash is in the location of the original Virgin River channel. This would have changed the jurisdiction of the site to the state of Nevada. |
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| February 2006 | NPS
SRC Team returns to do additional studies. Superintendent William K. Dickinson
reiterates, “The NPS is planning to meet with members of the local
dive community in the very near future to work collaboratively on a management
plan that will allow the public to experience the site while protecting
it for future generations as part of a comprehensive site stewardship
plan.” |
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| December 2006 | NPS
SRC Team returns to the park to document other submerged sites. As a result
of this work, the crashed remains of a PBY Catalina flying boat are opened
to the technical diving public. |
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| February 2007 | Meeting
with regional dive community and announcement of the timeline for B-29
permit application process. NPS releases the coordinates of the crashed
PBY flying boat in Boulder Basin. |
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| May-June 2007 | NPS
evaluates applications for Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs) for guided
diving on the B-29 site. Two applicants are selected. NPS SRC team members
take the selected applicants on guided dives of the site. |
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| July 15, 2007 | The
B-29 site is opened for a 6-month trial period of guided diving. |
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Training and Technology Inc.
Tech Diving Limited 2959 Kiowa Blvd N. Lake Havasu City, AZ 86404 928-855-9400 E-mail: joel@techdivinglimited.com www.techdivinglimited.com Copyright
2007 STT Inc. |
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