OTTAWA (AFP) - Canadian underwater archeologists accidentally discovered what they believe to be the wreck of a US Air Force airplane that sank in the Saint Lawrence seaway in 1942, the Parks Canada divers said Thursday.
The divers said in a statement that they were carrying out routine work in an adjacent area when they came across the wreck. It must still be confirmed that it is indeed the lost plane.
"This is a very significant discovery," Quebec region Minister Christian Paradis said. "This plane is a testament to the collaboration between Canada and the US during the Second World War."
The amphibious aircraft foundered in rough weather on November 2, 1942, in the waters surrounding what is now the Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve in the eastern Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
The plane was based at Presqu'Ile, Maine, in the United States, and serviced an airfield in the village of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec, about 1,000 kilometers (641 miles) northeast of Montreal.
Nine persons were on board when the aircraft went down. Four of the crew escaped the flooding plane and were rescued by local fishermen rowing out from shore in open boats in rough seas.
The five others perished, trapped inside.
Officials said sonar scans indicate the plane appears to be in good condition and divers hope to recover any remains of the five victims in the coming weeks.
"The United States government was extremely interested to learn of the discovery of the wreckage," said David Fetter, Consul General of the United States.
In 1941 and 1942, the United States constructed a series of airfields in Eastern Canada to ferry aircraft to Allied air forces in Northern Europe, as part of the so-called "Crimson Route."
The construction of the airport in Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan was to serve as an emergency airfield along the ferry route between Presque Isle and Goose Bay, Labrador.