For WW2 aircraft lovers like me (I'm 84) the like-new restorations are precious works of art. But we need to see some of the B17s and P51s that were so shot up they couldn't possibly fly, but did, long enough to get back to England. Rudder shot away. Ailerons hanging loose. A wingtip gone. Scores of bullet holes. Belly turret gone. Left tire flat. Show us what those guys experienced. Bill Swart

Lest we forget the past, we're bound to repeat it. Besides, it's a beautiful machine. I don't know why you would hate on a piece of aviation history, it's a beautiful plane when full restored.

Fantastic! Restoring it is a fitting tribute to the aviators who flew not only the Dauntless but to all those who battled in the perilous skies of WWII. Thank you.

Holy cow! I was at the museum in New Orleans just three weeks ago and saw this beauty. She sure came out of the lake in good shape. The B-17 they have there too is a sight to behold.

I'm glad this Dauntless is being restored, as there are very few of them left in the world today, especially flying examples. I believe there may only be one or two that fly. However, condemning an airplane to a museum is an insult that eliminates the value of all the effort and money it requires to restore such a precious piece of aviation, and WWII history. This dive-bomber should properly be restored to flying condition so all could see her where she belongs, in the sky. Keep em flying!

*dive bomber, not just a bomber

@CptnHardcore09 What's neat is that the last pilot is still living to see his aircraft preserved.

If memory serves, sometime around 1942, the Navy bought three vessels (I think a couple of them were paddle-wheel powered) and converted them to aircraft carriers for new pilots to get carrier qualified. After a pilot graduated from flight training, he had to go up to the Great Lakes and take off and land 5 times on one of the converted carriers after which he was officially a US Naval Aviator. My father carrier qualed off the Wolverine. He told a great story about how he came back from making his 5 traps and launches to find a friend of his stumbling around in the ready room trying to get into his flight suit. Dad suspected the other pilot had been drinking and, as the weather was deteriorating rapidly, asked him if he really thought it was a good idea to go out. The other pilot replied "Go out? Hell, I just got back!". This was the same guy who flew an F4U Corsair through the old airship hanger at NAS North Island. Needless to say, with his recklessness, he didn't make it to retirement.

my grandpa had worked on a scrap yard his dad owned and he said he remembers cutting steam locomotives up with a torch! your exactly right about all of it

Lake Michigan was a training area for carrier pilots. This plane was lost when the engine quit on final approach during touch-and-gos, and the pilot survived.

I remember my father mentioning Spitfire engines for sale in the Exchange and Mart, (a weekly whats for sale). This was 1947 and the asking price was £47. 10s, They were crated and greased. Oh! shit.

SBD Dauntless. Heavily used in the Pacific. They have a Vindicator at the Museum of the US Navy at Pensacola that was pulled out of Lake Michigan too. Perfectly restored. The only way you would know it had been under water was a small amount of corrosion on the propeller hub. Great job by those who restored her!

@IndyB25 No, you can tell by the two seat design (as stated above) and by the wing design. The Corsair have a unique folding wing design which was why the Navy loved it on carriers. Also the wings of a Corsair "dip" down from the fuselage and then come back up to a level plane. I believe it was one of the only planes used in WWII that had that design. Very unique.

Dive bomber yes. It was a two seater Navy plane that did both dive bombing and torpedo runs. One of the most iconic Navy, carrier based WWII planes.

@carmium - as much as I love watching old trains, cars, planes, and ships restored I feel as though the war machines should be focused on the most, not because they are cool and have weapons but because of the horrors and sacrifices the men and women who fought in and alongside of them had to endure. I live in New York and watching the Intrepid sailing back to pier 86 on it's own power just blew my mind.

That is an excellent first step. Getting the remaining few of these old birds under care or in an indoor museum is the best thing to do.

my father flew in this aircraft in the pacific during W.W.2 with no.25 squadron R.N.Z.AF.

Great find of the Navy Plane that sunk the 4-Japanese Aircraft Carriers at ''The Battle Of Midway''. Our Navy back in World War Two,used two large Ships they converted to Aircraft Carriers for training on Lake Michigan,as I worked with a Guy years ago who at 18,trained on them and later flew Corsairs,but the War was over before He could be shipped overseas.

I think they're working on a Helldiver at Dulles. The plane above went to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola for restoration and eventual display in another museum.

Not a full sized bomber, throw it back lol.

In WW2, one SBD pilot fumed that the SBD was a solid air-superiority platform. He and his gunner took on six Zeros and splashed them. He was promptly transferred to fighters.

I am not the owner of the plane. Actually my brother found it when he was working in the oilfield. He spotted it and talked to the farmer about it, and took pictures for me. I asked him next time he goes there, its about an hour and a half drive from our town there, that he get the serial number and I can search the aircrafts history.

The zebra muscles are holding it together,

Also they used an old paddle-wheeled steamer that they made into a small practice carrier. It was the USS Wolverine. There are tons of these old carrier planes at the bottom of the lake from the failed takeoffs and landings.

OMG THAT IS SOOO COOL ALOT OF HISTORY IN THAT PLANE

@FiveCentsPlease this is an amazing find. It is the only remaining link to the Battle at Midway. Nothing existed from that battle until this find. It was aboard the aircraft transport USS Kitty Hawk. 1st Lt Daniel Iverson as pilot and PF1c Wallace Reid as rear gunner. After unsuccessfully attacking the carrier Hiryu, enemy fire holed the plane 219 times. It was one of only eight to return from the attack against the Japanese fleet.

Many were lost during training on 2 sidewheeler, yes side wheeler, practice carriers, the Wolverine & Sable. They were converted from lake steamers. This may be the SBD that was used in the Battle of Midway. This Acft. was also the center of a huge court case. The 2 carriers were based at Chicago, my Dad visited them often. His Uncle was a USCG diver, whose sometime job was to go and retrieve the bodies from these Aircft..

I love this freshwater vehicles! they are almost museum quality compared to the salt water ones!

@inkey2 Several factors: Since this plane was in freshwater, there were no chemical reactions between the aluminum and salt which can be very bad (but freshwater can still cause problems.) Also the oxygen level in the water is important since low oxygen will slow down decay. Sometimes when items are returned to an oxygen environment the deterioration can accelerate without proper treatment and preservation.

It is a SBD dauntless divebomber ,like the planes that sunk 4 japanese carriers at the battle of Midway. Corsairs have the unmistakable "gull" wings.

Amazing the Shape this SBD is in. Priceless.

redr1150r is absolutely correct about the sidewheel practice carriers. This Dauntless looks like it was shooting landings when lost.....wheels down as well as speed/dive brakes deployed.

I went to New Orleans WWII museum last november, I remember seeing this one! It said it was restored after being found in michigan!

The Dauntless was a great dive bomber. Good to see!

@TheBByamashiro That can be confusing at a distance. The Devastator torpedo bomber was a 3-seater with a longer cockpit/canopy, larger, thicker wings and tail surfaces, and no divebrakes (those are the perforated surfaces you see on the underside of the wing in the video at 00:35).

oh my god what a find! im so glad it was saved!

Lives given in defense of ones country are not wasted.

I'll bet this gives the men that are left chills in their spine. It makes the hair raise on my neck even, like seeing a ghost. wow

@trainmandan05 Lake Michigan was a training area and there are over 100 known aircraft wrecks. The engine on this plane quit while doing touch-and-gos on a carrier, and the pilot survived the war. The Navy still claims ownership of their wrecked aircraft, so this one will go to a museum.

Yes, and survived the war to see this plane recovered.

Amazing condition for a 60 year plus old hiatus under water... We should all look so good after over six decades...

The Canadian Air Force was selling P-51 D Mustangs for $5000 in great flying condition as late as 1965-66...Our neighbor owned one for a while and thought he was making a killing when he sold it for $300,000...Hind-sight is such a bitch! So many beautiful planes scrapped.

If the B-25 has been sitting outside in the weather for the last 60 years then it probably has corrosion issues and it will take more than 200K to make it airworthy. However, the price is good and it should be listed with an aircraft broker if he is serious about selling it. A museum could use it for a static restoration as well.

how many SBDs fell into Lake Michigan? Isnt there one just like this one hanging on display at Midway Airport?

It was lost during carrier landing practice after engine failure, and the pilot survived the war (and is alive to see his plane again.) The US Navy still claims their aircraft as property, so money isn't a factor. It will be restored for display in a Navy museum.

@wjd This was not a fatal crash. The engine quit on final during carrier landing training. The pilot is still alive today. Other Lake Michigan wrecks do contain remains, which probably designates them as war graves.

great shape paint is like new, nice find!

Wow this bird still had paint c/w markings, Hamilton Standard stickers on the props, even some plexiglass still in the canopy. Just shows how The Windy City's reservoir preserves duralumin. Truly amazing state. I assume this was used in fiight deck training ships exercises as preparation for Navy flights?

@MaxPolej Lake Michigan was a training area for Navy pilots during the war and naturally there were accidents. There are over 100 known Navy aircraft wrecks in Lake Michigan, still in good condition from the cold fresh water. However, the US Navy still claims them as Navy property and historically has prevented removal. They are now permitting some to be removed for museums, but so far none for private restoration into flying examples.

@Hickmaann90 Engine quit on approach, pilot survived and is still alive and kicking. He was interviewed about his war service.

How did it end up there?

I've read that after WWII the Army Air Force was selling Mustangs for $2,500.00. The jet age was coming on..and the Mustangs were no longer 'front-line' fighters... So many aircraft scrapped... The USS Enterprise was shredded for scrap...that was a shame...

So THAT'S where I left my plane!!!

Apparently many WWII era Navy planes were ditched by student pilots in the Great Lakes. It's a bit of an aviation treasure trove.

These planes have serial numbers and the history can be traced. Nobody died in this plane and it was removed on a contract for the US Navy and will be on display in a Naval museum.

@Hickmaann90 The interview with the pilot was in local new articles about the recovery, which can probably still be looked up online.

There are so many stories on the 'net and on TV about people restoring the most appalling wrecks to new condition, sometimes an airplane actually flying after decades in a jungle or a WW2 tank running after being pulled from a river bank. If only people hadn't been so anxious to scrap perfectly functional but obsolete, captured, or surplus machines, we could have thousands of working historical pieces in museums and collections around the world. (I'll rant about steam locomotives elsewhere!)

Did you even read the title of the video? It was pulled from Lake Michigan, no battles fought on the lake. Navy pilots trained at the Great Lakes Naval Station and thus trained on the lake using steamers converted to air craft carriers. Many pilots crashed landed in the lake, including future president George H.W. Bush, there are still over 80 planes in the lake, several have been recovered, one F4F was returned to flying condition.

@mortimati007 The SBD was a Navy dive-bomber and scout plane--all carrier-based aircraft of this period were single-engined.

Most likely a training accident as there were two practice aircraft carriers on Lake Michigan. Few of these planes were lost over board from the USS Sable (IX-81) and the USS Wolverine (IX-64). Both were converted steamships and both were sidewheelers!

yeah i forget to put it in there sometimes, whats weird is all the fighter aircraft, navy or air force, are used in attack roles, but only the F/A-18 has it in it's name. the F-35 appears to be just called that for now, the f-16 is only the F-16, kind weird.

Wow, the markings are still plainly visible. This should "clean up" really nice.

Barnstormers or Trade-A-Plane are excellent places to advertise an aircraft for sale. You can also reach out to a reputable warbird museum for assistance with selling the aircraft. If the plane has a combat history it will be of great interest to a museum.

@pete5668 No body and the pilot didn't bail. The pilot is still alive today and was interviewed when the plane was recovered.

how did it get into Lake MI....?

Hal Olsen, one of the 'Nose Art' painters, lives in ABQ NM. When the other guys shipped out for war, they took liquor. Hal Olsen took his 'paints' :>)

@ktc8308 US Navy policy over the years considers these wrecks to be US Navy property, although some Navy planes are flying in private hands. The Navy has prosecuted several people for recovering aircraft. The Navy is allowing removal of these wrecks for museums, but none are for airworthy restoration. It could be made airworthy with enough new parts and money, but I don't see that happening.

There are over 100 aircraft in Lake Michigan and the US Navy claims ownership rather than allowing qualified restorers to save them before they're gone.

The landing gear was still down so that tells me it crashed attempting to land. It was stated the engine stalled due to carburetor freeze up.

What did it do in Lake Michigan?

All the main chunks still intact. Clearly an "Iron Works" product.

Is it possible for airworthy restoration?

I can't imagine how much it would cost get it back in the air.

Douglas Dauntless.....WW II era Navy dive bomber. Used at the battle of Midway.

this plane is restored and at the pacific aviation museum

Wow, what a great find. The skin looks good too. Just the fabric parts have rotted. I do not see any crash damage on the prop or on the front of the plane, I wonder why it was in the water to began with. Anyway, cool find. I'll bet that plane is worth 20K or more. It was certainly worth pulling it out of the water. If you all want to read a great story about a fighter lost under 300 feet of ice, look up Glacier Gal. She is what can happen to a wrecked air plane with some TLC and millions.

@IndyB25 No sir, not even close, Corsairs did not come in two seaters. That is definately an SBD dauntless dive bomber.

I'm surprised the Daily Herald isn't charging money to watch this video.

50 years later THEN you decide to search for me

typo folks. this aircraft is now on permanent display at the national museum of the marine corps. in Triangle Virginia.

It's in better condition than my first car was.

I have a question, were there any remains inside the plane?

Would Love to see this baby fly again one day, or even just sitting on the tarmac in one piece. With enough funding, and the in the right hands, I've seen some amazing things happen with aircraft restoration.

lol that's where the navy did all their training, so I'd imagine there's more then a few old war birds at the bottom of the great lakes!

The Navy policy of "rot in place" preservation has been very contentious (see Lex Cralley and his Corsair), although a few Navy aircraft are in private hands. I don't think that policy is limited to US territory.

Nice find!

why does it look so good? The painted insignias, the color.........it must have been in very deep water

Wow. An SBD Dauntess

One question. Why on Earth, would they put a WWII relic, found in Lake Michigan, that, rightfully belongs to the State of Michigan, in a museum over 1000 miles away? Why not put it in a museum in Michigan or even Chicago?

even like this the plane looks ready to kick some ass

make sure to sign the log and remove the travel bug before rehiding it. (a little geocaching humor). Actually that was an awesome find and it looks like it is still in decent shape for its age. Guess thats the benifit of fresh water over salt.

one of my favorite planes. the "hero" of the battle of midway.

One thing I am disappointed about is that we sank the huge captured Battleship from japan at the Bikini atoll. That would have been a great museum piece, and likely been given back to Japan. Of course I guess it is kind of a museum still in a way but you have to get special permission I think to dive the wreck. But it is radioactive.

I was kind of on the same page as you, except I was thinking about the P51 Mustangs. I saw a video on here ans they pictured what all they scraped, planes, tanks, all manner of ships, it kind of made me sad. The planes are in the aeronautics part of the Smithsonian but everyone doesn't get to DC in a lifetime.

did they find a body in it? or did the pilot bail?

These same war tools shaped the world we know today. Without these war tools, we wouldn't have the tools we have today. A-10 Thunderbolt II? P-47 Thunderbolt.

Did you guys hear that the found a Avenger in the lake Superior? It was awesoem! THEY EVEN FOUND THE TORPEDO!

Saw that plane last year :)

very cool, so many years and still in great condition.

The US Navy claims all wrecks as US Navy property, so Michigan has no claim to it. Although a few Navy aircraft are in private ownership, the US Navy has prosecuted anyone who removes Navy wrecks. This plane is being restored for a Naval museum. It's a controversial policy from the Navy, since many of their historic wrecks will likely rot away before they are recovered for preservation.