B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site

Values

B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site is a remaining relic of front-line WWII activities in Western Australia and is important evidence of the defence of Australia, and war against the Axis forces

B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site is believed to be in pristine condition with a high level of integrity and authenticity

B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site contains important archaeological evidence which could lead to an explanation for the loss of the aircraft and its crew

B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site may contain human remains and associated artefactual material from the crash of great social value to the next of kin and the armed forces. The site contains archaeological material, in the form of tangible physical evidence for loss of life during WWII and the social impact of the war in Western Australia

B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site is rare as only eight examples of this aircraft are believed to exist, (only one in the southern hemisphere which is located in Werribee Victoria) and many are part reconstructions

B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site, as a rare example of this aircraft, may provide important technical information about B24 Liberator, an aircraft of proven technical innovation and achievement

Physical Description

Located in Vansittart Bay (off Truscott Airbase) in the Kimberley, B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site is a submerged World War II aircraft crash site. The plane is broken into three main sections; tailplane, mid fuselage, and main wing/engines/cockpit; on a flat sand/mud seabed . The extent of the site is approximately 60 x 60 m. The plane wreck is believed to be in a pristine condition, besides the obvious impacts of the crash itself and underwater site formation processes. Nothing besides the easily accessible human remains were recovered at the time of the accident and, as the site itself is in 20 metres of crocodile-infested water and its exact location was not determined until recently, there has been none of the customary scavenging by treasure hunters. This would suggest the site holds a high level of integrity and authenticity. Further information regarding the condition of the site will be provided during a survey scheduled for August 2009.

History

The Consolidated B24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, built by Consolidated Aircraft. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft of World War II and still holds the record as the most produced U.S. military aircraft. It was used by many Allied air forces and every U.S. branch of service during the war, attaining a distinguished war record with its operations in the northern European, Pacific and Mediterranean theaters. B24 Liberator Submerged Aircraft Crash Site is the plane wreckage of a B24 Liberator, constructed c.1941, and associated with the front-line airbase at Truscott in the Kimberley. The aircraft was received into the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 6 October 1944 but in 1945, shortly after taking off on an operational anti-shipping mission, the plane attempted to return to base but, for reasons unknown, crashed into the sea. On 23 March 1945 B24 Liberator (A72-80), flown by Squadron Leader Nathaniel Herbert Strauss, an above average pilot with over 1500 hours of flying experience, took off from Truscott airfield. Shortly after take-off Strauss radioed the Truscott tower that he was preparing for an emergency landing as he was unable to gain height. However, due to his low altitude Strauss could not locate the airfield and for 23 minutes he made radio contact with Truscott, and three other Liberator aircraft also in the air at the time, advising of his situation though the reason behind the plane’s inability to gain height was not discussed. At 7:13am Strauss advised that he was about to ditch into Vansittart Bay and the three other Liberators in the air saw A72-80 ditch at a fairly high rate of descent into the sea. It disintegrated on impact and caught fire. The eleven crew and one passenger (listed below) were all killed: Sqn/Ldr N.H. Straus (250759) (Pilot)
 F/Sgt H.J. Boyd (427775) (2nd Pilot)
 F/O R.A. Whiting (Nav B) (4267333)
 F/Lt C.D. Parry-Okeden (404485) (Bombadier)
 F/O John Wilson Hursthouse (416215) (W.O. Air 1st)
 W/O W. R. Flanagan (401748) (W.O. Air 2nd)
 W/O H.G. Parker (408951) Air Gunner)
 F/Sgt J.R. Ryan (422716) (Air Gunner)
 F/Sgt A.J. Rodgers (436889) (Air Gunner)
 Sgt. A.D. Whitehead (121592) (Air Gunner)
 F/Sgt R.M. Morris (46563) (Flight Engineer)
 Cpl D.W. Madden (36484) (Passenger) Truscott tower requested that HMAS Congoola, at West Bay, proceed to the scene to search for survivors. They arrived four hours later and recovered the body of one of the gunners, Flight Sergeant Rodgers. Other aircraft searched the area for two days but only three bodies were recovered; Flt Sgt Rodgers, S/L N.H. Straus, and Flt Lt C.D. Parry-Okeden. The shirt of F/O Hursthouse was also found and according to an Air Board telegram (4th April 1945) his body was taken by a crocodile. The Commanding Officer of 24 Squadron arrived at Truscott airfield on 23 March 1945 to carry out a preliminary investigation. A Court of Inquiry was later convened to investigate the crash and the official cause was given as ‘undetermined’. Another theory espoused by some of 24 Squadron's pilots was that the control lock on the control surfaces may have been jammed in the locked position. It was common but not recommended practice to lock the control surfaces in the neutral position for the long taxiing run to the far end of the airfield prior to take off, then turn straight onto the runway, disengage the control lock and then open the throttles for take-off.  It was possible if the disengagement of the control lock was performed too slowly, that the flow of air over the surfaces during a fast taxii could jam the controls in the locked position. Another pilot, Tom Fitzgerald, who had been an ex-pilot of this aircraft, thought that the problem may have been due to some damage to the aircraft during an operation six weeks earlier. Since 1945, when B24 Liberator (A72-80) ditched into the sea it has lain undisturbed on the sea floor. Although relatively close to the coast the wreck is in 20 metres of crocodile-infested water and, as its exact location was not determined until recently, there has been none of the customary scavenging by treasure hunters. In 2009, using contemporary photographs and visible coastal landmarks, Jim and Malcolm Miles located the wreck and performed a brief survey of the site (see attached photographs) identifying the tailplane section and the general form of the aircraft. They informed the RAAF and the WA Maritime Museum.

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