The mystery surrounding the sunken wreck
of a World War II RAF bomber that went down off the southern coast of Italy
80 years ago has finally been solved
In 2016 the sunken wreck of a twin-engine airplane was discovered at the bottom of the ocean
off the Italian coast. Now for six years historians and divers combed
through records and reviewed local witness accounts to piece together what happened.
What kind of airplane was it? and what happened to the crew?
Just this week the plane has been positively identified as a Martin Baltimore light attack bomber
It was flying on a reconnaissance mission from its base on Malta on June 15, 1942,
when it was forced to ditch into the sea.
However, nobody knows if the plane was hit by enemy fire ,or simply suffering from engine trouble
But if we're just meeting for the first time,
my name is Ken Stano and I am a World War Two historian, mechanical engineer, and pilot.
Now the aircraft we're talking about came down south of Sicily about 500 meters,
or quarter mile, off the coast.
Witness accounts said the plane floated for a few minutes before sinking,
which allowed enough time for local fishermen to row out and search for the crew.
Thousands of these Martin Baltimore bombers were made during WWII,
most of those being scrapped at the end of the war.
Believe it or not, this one now ranks as one of the best-preserved in the world.
The wreck lies at a depth of 85 meters, or 280 feet...
...and it's in an excellent state of preservation.
There's a crack halfway along the fuselage...
...and a small part of the left wing is missing
It is only partially submerged in the sand...
...and the wings and tail are still visible above the seabed
This plane was originally thought to be an entirely different aircraft,
an RAF Bristol Beaufort...
...but it has been positively identified as a Martin Baltimore...
...flown by 69 Squadron of the RAF when the unit was based on Malta
The squadron's missions were mostly concentrated in the eastern Mediterranean.
Squadron records show the bomber took off on June 15, 1942
on a reconnaissance mission to observe Axis naval activity
Unfortunately the squadron lost radio contact with the bomber and it failed to return to base
So what happened to the crew?
Well they've been identified as RAF Pilot Sergeant Francis William Baum...
...Sergeant William Edward Finchum, who was a wireless operator and air gunner from the Royal Canadian Air Force...
...Sergeant Robert Tetrel Purslow, an air gunner with the RAF...
...and Flight Sergeant Alec Greaves, an observer from the Royal Australian Air Force
who died on impact when the bomber hit the sea
Tragically, Sergeant Purslow, the RAF air gunner
later died in a prisoner war camp in Austria in December, 1943.
If fascinating WW2 mysteries like the discovery and identification of this Martin bomber interest you...
...then I hope you'll consider hitting the 'Subscribe' button below
You can also check out the recent discovery of the WWII destroyer escort Samuel B Roberts
My name is Ken Stano
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