Scientists Discover Sunken Navy Seaplane - Photos
Marshall Mars Exploded 45 Years Ago
POSTED: 2:07 pm HST December 15, 2004
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HONOLULU -- Hawaii scientists are still reeling over their latest deep-sea discovery of the wreckage of the Marshall Mars, a Navy seaplane that exploded and sank just off of Pearl Harbor 45 years ago.
Imagine an underwater museum in complete darkness, lit only for the first time by beams from deep-sea mini submarines.The discovery was 1,200 feet deep on the ocean floor. What you see are pieces of a wrecked seaplane that failed to make it across the Pacific on April 5, 1950.
Slideshow: Marshall Mars Wreckage"We didn't really know what we'd found the first time," said Terry Kirby of the Hawaii Undersea Research Lab.What they found was the Marshall Mars, a marvel of its time, a seaplane whose wingspan was said to be the length of a football field.
"We knew it was a big seaplane of some sort, but to find it was such a rare item that there were only five of them built and at the time it was the largest plane in the world. And it had such an interesting history," Kirby said.The plane was testing a new type of engine and was flying from Alameda, Calif., when it caught fire. The crew of 308 sailors on board survived. After they got out of the plane, it blew up and burned for about 50 minutes, and the pieces sank to the bottom.Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Hawaii's Undersea Research Laboratory were on a high after finding the nose and keel. The seaplane's name was still visible.They also found three of the plane's four engines.There are no plans to disturb the wreckage. The plane is federal property and rests on submerged state land. With the news of this discovery historians are already trying to locate the ship's commander and the crew.
Imagine an underwater museum in complete darkness, lit only for the first time by beams from deep-sea mini submarines.The discovery was 1,200 feet deep on the ocean floor. What you see are pieces of a wrecked seaplane that failed to make it across the Pacific on April 5, 1950.Slideshow: Marshall Mars Wreckage"We didn't really know what we'd found the first time," said Terry Kirby of the Hawaii Undersea Research Lab.What they found was the Marshall Mars, a marvel of its time, a seaplane whose wingspan was said to be the length of a football field."We knew it was a big seaplane of some sort, but to find it was such a rare item that there were only five of them built and at the time it was the largest plane in the world. And it had such an interesting history," Kirby said.The plane was testing a new type of engine and was flying from Alameda, Calif., when it caught fire. The crew of 308 sailors on board survived. After they got out of the plane, it blew up and burned for about 50 minutes, and the pieces sank to the bottom.Scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Hawaii's Undersea Research Laboratory were on a high after finding the nose and keel. The seaplane's name was still visible.They also found three of the plane's four engines.There are no plans to disturb the wreckage. The plane is federal property and rests on submerged state land. With the news of this discovery historians are already trying to locate the ship's commander and the crew. Copyright 2004 by TheHawaiiChannel.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
