About a half-mile off the shores of Po‘o Point and 15 feet under water is the wreck of a P-47 World War II fighter plane known as the Thunderbolt. It was developed by Republic Aviation Corporation in 1942 to fulfill the military’s need for a fighter craft with exceptional performance, armament, flight range, and protection. But when Kailua airmen prepared the Thunderbolt for a routine training flight from the Bellows Airfield Waimanalo in 1947, the engine failed and the plane dove into shallow, offshore reefs. Although the aircraft was left in pieces, the pilot allegedly came out safe.
P-47 Plane Wreck Diving in OAHU, Hawaii
About a half-mile off the shores of Po‘o Point and 15 feet under water is the wreck of a P-47 World War II fighter plane known as the Thunderbolt. It was developed by Republic Aviation Corporation in 1942 to fulfill the military’s need for a fighter craft with exceptional performance, armament, flight range, and protection. But…
