Shipwreck Hunters Discover U.S.A.F. Aircraft

By The Maritime Executive 07-11-2014 10:28:00

The wreck of a U.S. Air Force C-45 aircraft abandoned during flight by its crew in 1952 has been located in deep water off Oswego, New York. Crippled by the failure of one of its two engines the plane continued on a 65 mile pilotless flight until it crashed into Lake Ontario. Shipwreck explorers Jim Kennard, Roger Pawlowski and Roland Stevens located the aircraft while surveying a section of Lake Ontario for historic ships.

On September 11, 1952, the C-45 was on a routine flight from Bedford, Massachusetts to Griffis Air Force Base near Rome, New York. The left engine began failing about 40 miles southeast of Utica. The aircraft started to lose altitude about 8 miles from Rome, NY. Believing the plane would crash after one engine was disabled, the pilot, Lt. Col. Callahan, ordered his crew and passengers to parachute. Jumping at an altitude of 2500 feet the three Air Force Officers and two civilians landed safely. It was the first time any of them parachuted from an airplane. At 11 p.m. the aircraft was reported flying very low over Oswego. Town residents saw a plane circling out over the lake just before it plunged into the water, reporting “a powerful light, like that of a searchlight, appeared for several seconds after the crash.”

The search for the missing plane began immediately by three Coast Guard cutters. In addition, C-45 trainers, C-47 transports, and B-25 bombers combed the crash area for two days. When there was no wreckage to be found the search was called off.

The current shipwreck team was quite surprised when the image of an aircraft appeared on their sonar display as it was well beyond the mile offshore as reported by a few eye witnesses. Detailed sonar images of the wreck of the C-45 were obtained by utilizing high resolution DeepVision side scan sonar. These images provide an almost aerial photographic image of the wreck and allow the team to understand how the wreckage lies on the bottom of the lake.

The sonar search was followed up by deployingg a VideoRay Pro IV remote operated vehicle to collect video of the wreck site. The C-45 is almost totally intact. The fiberglass nose cone is missing as are the vertical stabilizers. One of the blades of the left propeller broke off and lies nearby on the bottom. Part of the windshield was broken and the left side of the body behind the wing has been torn away. Otherwise it is all there. This probably explains why no debris could be found floating on the surface of the lake during the searches conducted by the US Coast Guard and US Air Force.

U.S. Air Force C-45 specifications

Wingspan: 47 ft. 8 in.

Length: 34 ft. 3 in.

Height: 9 ft. 8 in.

Manufacturer: Beach Aircraft Corporation

Engines: Pratt & Whitney R986 AN 1 Wasp Junior 9-cylinder radial air cooled – 450 HP

Speed (maximum): 215 mph

Ceiling Height (maximum): 20,000 ft.

Loaded weight: 8727 lbs.

Range: 700 miles

Manned by two men and carried 6 to 8 passengers with no armament.