P-47 razorback recovered 11/86 Lake Kerr, Florida

[P63H]

Does anyone have any information on the P-47 recovered from Lake Kerr, Lake County Florida? I have a newspaper story from November 15, 1986 Leesburg Daily Commercial stating (W/picture) that Jay Wisler (Tampa Florida) made the recovery. It says he was going to sell it for $25,000 to a group in Evansville, Indiana.

As a personal note--I moved to Leesburg in 1972 and heard rumors that there were (are) WW II aircraft in lakes around Leesburg. Leesburg airport (LEE) was built to train P-47 pilots. It is not surprising to me that aircraft and parts there of turn up around here because it was said that more aircraft were lost over Florida then in combat due to training accidents I>E> 'One a day in Tampa Bay'.

I have first hand knowledge from a pilot that ditched a P-39 in Lake Harris after losing power on take-off. During a drought a few years ago parts of a P-51 surfaced in south Lake County.

 

[mjfur]

Warbird Registry - Republic P-47 Thunderbolt - A Warbirds Resource Group Site

 

[P63H]

Thank-you...so sorry to hear that it was destroyed. I was hoping to be able to see it one day.

 

[Navalwarrior]

Does anyone have any information on the P-47 recovered from Lake Kerr, Lake County Florida? I have a newspaper story from November 15, 1986 Leesburg Daily Commercial stating (W/picture) that Jay Wisler (Tampa Florida) made the recovery. It says he was going to sell it for $25,000 to a group in Evansville, Indiana.

As a personal note--I moved to Leesburg in 1972 and heard rumors that there were (are) WW II aircraft in lakes around Leesburg. Leesburg airport (LEE) was built to train P-47 pilots. It is not surprising to me that aircraft and parts there of turn up around here because it was said that more aircraft were lost over Florida then in combat due to training accidents I>E> 'One a day in Tampa Bay'.

I have first hand knowledge from a pilot that ditched a P-39 in Lake Harris after losing power on take-off. During a drought a few years ago parts of a P-51 surfaced in south Lake County.

Resp:
One of the airworthy P-51B/C and a Brewster version of the Corsair (F3A flown by a Marine) were taken from lakes in FL. Some believe that the Avengers of Flight 19 crashed in the swamps of FL.

 

[fubar57]

Flight 19: "Lost Patrol"

 

[Navalwarrior]

Flight 19: "Lost Patrol"

Resp:
My only issue with the TBMs going down in the FL swamps is the loss of radio contact w Ft Lauderdale. Does anyone know the maximum distance of these swamps to the nearest military airfields; Ft Lauderdale, NAS Jacksonville, etc.. I would think that the ability to communicate with the planes of Flight 19 would have improved if the TBMs were over FL vs out east over the Atlantic. Anyone?

 

[Navalwarrior]

Resp:
My only issue with the TBMs going down in the FL swamps is the loss of radio contact w Ft Lauderdale. Does anyone know the maximum distance of these swamps to the nearest military airfields; Ft Lauderdale, NAS Jacksonville, etc.. I would think that the ability to communicate with the planes of Flight 19 would have improved if the TBMs were over FL vs out east over the Atlantic. Anyone?

Con't:
According to one story, Graham Stikelether, an Indian River attorney, was out hunting in the mid 1960s when he came across a TBM with 2 bodies in a swamp 8mi SW of Sebastin, FL. He reported it to the Navy, who retrieved the bodies (plane?). Of note, an Eastern Air Lines DC3 spotted a red flare in this same area the day after Fight 19 was lost.
Also of note, the USS Solomans was stationed at Daytona Beach on Dec 5, 1945 and it picked up a radar signal of 4 to 6 aircraft over N Florida heading West 90 min after Flight 19 was due back at Fort Lauderdale NAS. Stikelether on several occasions tried to obtain the identities of the perished airmen, but got nowhere with the Navy. He believed that the crew were Marines, since Marines were flying with the Navy that December 5th day; aviator CAPT Edward Powers, gunner Sgt Howell Thompson, and radio operator Sgt George Paonessa.