Investigation of a
U.S. Navy PBM-3

The investigation was limited to a non-intrusive survey.   Measurements of visible features were taken by tape.   Water temperature was 65 degrees F.   Visibility varied from five or six feet upon water entry to zero as sediment was disturbed by the work.   The river bottom consisted of mud and areas of shell.   Sea moss, barnacles, and mussels covered the wreck structure.

A baseline was rigged down the dorsal centerline of the aircraft.   The high relief of the wreck prevented trilateration -- perpendicular offsets were used as an alternative.   Below is an oblique view of the aircraft viewed from the port bow.

At its peak the wreck occupies 80% of the water column, rising 23 feet off the bottom in 30 feet of water.   Significant damage to the skin, framing, and other parts of the aircraft appears to have been caused by the anchors of boats fishing on the wreck.   Many small anchors and grappling hooks have been caught in the structure, and the fuselage is festooned with fishing lines and lures.

A detached feature that may be the foundation of a dorsal turret or the "tunnel hatch" under the tail was located partially buried in the bottom silts approximately 150 feet east of the nose.

In the final analysis, the size and arrangement of the aircraft were consistent with the design of a PBM-3 and inconsistent with any other known type of aircraft.   The nose window has the dimensions and design of a PBM-3S , although confirmation of this finding would require penetration and disturbance of the bombadier's compartment.

Note:   the text and images used in these web pages were adapted from an article by David P. Howe that appears in Maryland Archeology (Vol. 36, No. 2, September 2000).

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