The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator, a significant aircraft in U.S. naval history, is counting on a team from Texas A&M university to save and preserve a specimen of the rare Navy Torpedo bomber. 80 years after its final flight, its discovery and the work being done to salvage it will shed light on the Pacific warfront.
A collaboration decades in the making waits at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The task rests on Texas A&M University’s Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation (CMAC) in tandem with the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, the Republic of the Marshall Islands Cultural and Historic Preservation Office, Naval History and Heritage Command, and Jaluit Atoll local government officials and traditional leaders. Jaluit Atoll is where the bomber now lies.
All parties aim to clean, conserve, and stabilize the aircraft. Not only will it go on display in the upcoming National Museum of the United States Navy, but it will also continue research into the plane itself. That research is critical because no other specimens remain of this first all-metal, low-wing, semi-monocoque plane are preserved in museums or private collections.
It’s an important piece of U.S. history, with a total of 130 TBD-1 aircraft built during World War II. All other known Douglas TBD-1 Devastators lie on the ocean floor. Archaeologists and conservation specialists have documented the aircraft since 2006, while the non-profit Air/Sea Heritage Foundation has conducted seven expeditions to the Atoll since 2003.
The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator is among the most significant aircraft in U.S. naval aviation history. As the Navy’s first all-metal, low-wing, semi-monocoque plane, it was critical during the opening months of the Pacific campaign, including the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. Of the 130 TBD-1 aircraft built, none have been recovered and preserved in museums or private collections.
Here’s a little history. This specific aircraft was launched from the USS Yorktown and abandoned in the Jaluit Lagoon on February 1, 1942. It served in the U.S. Navy’s first offensive operation in the Pacific. After the plane was ditched, all three naval aviators survived, despite enduring captivity as Japanese prisoners of war until their liberation in 1945. Other TBD-1s served in the Battle of the Coral Sea, and a month later, the Battle of Midway.
Texas A&M and all its partners see the recovery of the Jaluit Devastator as a tribute to the courage of the Navy aviators, and a chance to honor the early history of U.S. naval aviation for future generations.
For more information about the Devastator Project, please visit: https://www.airseaheritage.org/projects/devastator-rising/.
Original article by Texas A&M University College of Arts and Sciences
