PALAU (18 Feb 2004) -- A US World War II bomber shot down over Palau in the central Pacific has been found with the remains of eight missing American servicemen. The coral-encrusted but mostly intact wreck of the B-24, which came down nearly 60 years ago, was discovered under 22 metres of water in an undisclosed location. "This plane undoubtedly has human remains on it," said Patrick Scannon, the leader of the BentProp Project, a 10-year volunteer effort to find American wrecks in Palau and provide closure for surviving families. The B-24 was part of an onslaught on the Japanese-held Palau islands as the US prepared to remove a key air base before taking the Philippines, said mR Scannon, a research scientist from San Francisco. It was shot down in September 1944 over the heavily fortified capital, Koror. Witnesses reported three crew members parachuting out of the plane as it plummeted into the sea, he said. They were then executed by the Japanese, witnesses said. The remains of all or some of the other eight are believed to be on board the plane. Mr Scannon said he and the BentProp team had searched for the B-24 for eight years, "exhausting every possible lead". New reconnaissance photos were recently released by the US military that led them to a new area. They interviewed a local spear fisherman who frequented the waters and told them of a plane part sticking out of the coral. Soon afterwards, they dived to the new site. JPAC is a little-known military department charged with recovering the 88,000 American missing in action around the world. A JPAC team, in Palau to research three other potential gravesites, said they were pleased with the B-24 find, but urged people not to disturb the site. "I have seen horrendous things done on wrecks around the world. I have seen pictures of scuba divers holding up skulls," said Bill Belcher, the team's archaeologist. Mr Remengesau also asked residents not to attempt to locate the B-24 until after the US military completes its work and possibly notifies next of kin. | | "This site is protected by Palauan and US law and is regarded as a sacred gravesite," he said. SOURCE - AFPPartners in crime: Grave robbers Leigh Bishop and Brad Sheard. Following the lead of dive industry-endorsed shipwreck looters Bishop and Sheard, scuba diving thieves around the world are destroying wrecks for bragging rights, coffee table displays and internet auction profits that amount to a fraction of the revenue shipwrecks can generate as fully protected underwater museums.FROM THE EDITORS OF CDNN Scuba looters around the world aggressively compete for bragging rights, product endorsements and profits from the sales of stolen artifacts that are now on a par with those from smuggling humans and drugs. "The vast majority of the global scuba diving community opposes shipwreck looting and underwater grave robbing," said CDS President Evan T. Allard. "For scuba divers, every shipwreck is an underwater museum to be fully protected for our children, our grandchildren and all future generations of divers who will dive deeper and longer thanks to ongoing improvements in diving technology ," Allard added. "It is absolutely imperative that the global scuba diving community, archaeologists, coast guards, police and tax authorities act now to prevent Leigh Bishop, Brad Sheard, David Morton (of the Boston Sea Rovers) and other shipwreck looters from exploiting and destroying sunken ships for their personal coffee table displays, internet self-promotion schemes, commercial 'museum' profits and tax-evasion scams." CYBER DIVER ALERT | If you have information pertaining to the theft and/or sale of wreck artifacts, or desecration of underwater grave sites by Leigh Bishop, Brad Sheard, organized crime gangs or anyone else, please contact CDNN immediately and your information will be passed along to appropriate authorities. REPORT SCUBA LOOTER |
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