Lost at Sea: The Archival and Archaeological Investigation of Two Submerged F8F Bearcats

Summary

Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, renowned as the ‘Cradle of Naval Aviation’, has been a fundamental pilot training facility for the U.S. Navy since its establishment in 1914. Soon after, World War I ensured aviation would remain an important aspect of U.S. naval warfare, and lead to increased influx of prospective aviation cadets at NAS Pensacola. The next several decades of training led to hundreds of training accidents, some of which resulted in the loss of naval aircraft in waters offshore of Pensacola. Through archival and archaeological investigation, University of West Florida archaeologists have initiated site assessments on several known submerged aircraft sites in the area. Identifying these aircraft is an essential first step in the documentation process. This paper presents the methods involved in aircraft identification, and focuses on the historical documents utilized to identify two F8F Bearcats wreck sites. 

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2018   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2018

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 550