PORTLAND, Ore. — Officials investigating the wreckage of a World War II-era dive bomber found in the Oregon woods say at least three U.S. Navy planes of that type went down in that area from 1945 to 1948.
Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson said toiday investigators still don’t know the origin of the wrecked Helldiver found near the now-defunct Naval Air Station Tillamook.
However, Anderson said investigators have learned at least three planes of that type went down during the final years the air station was still in operation.
He said two went down in 1945 and another in 1948.
Anderson said investigators have been getting help from people who worked at Tillamook at the time.
Loggers working near the Oregon coast discovered the wreckage, military and police officials said Thursday.
Investigators said human remains may be in the aircraft.
The origins of the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver, a U.S. Navy dive bomber, are a mystery.
“There are so many different air stations they could have been flying from,” said Christian Gurling, curator at the Tillamook Air Museum.
A U.S. Navy team worked at the scene along with the Oregon State Police and the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office. Also involved in the investigation is the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing In Action Accounting Command, a Hawaii-based military joint command that tries to account for Americans missing in action.
State police bomb technicians checked the site Wednesday afternoon and found no sign of unexploded ordnance.
A logging company discovered the wreckage March 18 in a heavily wooded area and notified law enforcement officials, who then notified the U.S. Navy.
Officials have found a wing, a tail section, landing gear and other debris spread out over about 200 yards, state police said.
Gurling said the Tillamook station was originally an airfield for blimps guarding the Pacific Coast, but airplanes were also there in later years.
The SB2C Helldiver, which operated off aircraft carriers, replaced the Douglas SPD Dauntless. Gurling said it carried two crew members — the pilot and a radio operator, who was also the gunner.
The Helldiver, also known as “the Beast,” was a formidable warplane, but Gurling said it was also “plagued by problems.”
“In the earlier planes, the pilots were told to not dive for fear the planes would fall apart,” said Gurling. “Which wasn’t good for a dive bomber.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
