
The remains of three American fighter jets that flew missions over the Pacific during World War Two and then went missing have been found at the bottom of a lagoon in Micronesia.

The mangled pieces of the three aircraft were discovered by Project Recover, an organization that is privately and publicly funded to help recover the remains of American GIs who were missing in action.

Two of the planes are SBD-5 Dauntless dive bombers and the third is a TBM/F-1 Avenger torpedo bomber.

Using remote controlled submersibles, Project Recover found the pieces of metal from the planes on the floor of Truk Lagoon, according to the Fox News Channel.

The aircraft participated in Operation Hailstone, a mission that was launched by the United States military in February 1944.

The above image shows a propeller from a TBM/F-1 Avenger torpedo bomber lying on the seabed in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia

The image above shows split-panel dive brakes from an SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber resting on the floor of the lagoon near the main debris site

The photo shows a propeller of a US SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber from Operation Hailstone standing above the sand in Truk Lagoon

The image above taken by a submersible shows a starboard rear viewing port and entry hatch from a US TBM/F-1 Avenger torpedo bomber in Truk Lagoon

The image above from a remotely operated vehicle sent by Project Recover shows a tail section from an SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber from Operation Hailstone resting on the floor of Truk Lagoon

Truk Lagoon is part of an archipelago in the Federated States of Micronesia (as seen in the map above)

US bombers struck the lagoon, which at the time was held by the forces of Imperial Japan.

Truk was considered at the time a valuable forward base for the Japanese navy.

The Americans managed to capture the lagoon after a day of fighting, though they lost 40 men and 30 aircraft were destroyed.

The three planes found by Project Recover are believed to be linked to seven men who were declared missing in action by the US military.

The three aircraft flew from the aircraft carriers USS Enterprise and the USS Intrepid.

The team from Project Recover, which is made up of researchers from the University of Delaware and the University of California at San Diego, used technology including scanning sonars, and high definition and thermal cameras.

The researchers made four expeditions to the lagoon between April 2018 and December 2019.

They scanned almost 70 square miles of the seabed before finally spotting debris from the three planes.

‘After completing archeological surveys of the crash sites in December 2019, the team is now assembling reports for review by the US government to potentially set into motion a process for recovering and identifying the remains of up to seven crew members associated with these aircraft,’ Andrew Pietruszka, Project Recover’s lead archaeologist, said.

The above file photo from 1942 shows a squadron of US Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless dive bombers in flight as they patrol the coral reefs off Midway Island

The image above from February 1944 shows a torpedo exploding against a Japanese tanker ship in Truk Lagoon during an attack by US torpedo bombers

The search results were shared with the government of the Federated States of Micronesia as well as the Pentagon’s POW/MIA Accounting Agency.

‘Finding these three aircraft was only possible with the dedication and tireless efforts of our team members and the support of the host country,’ said Project Recover co-founder Mark Moline.

‘While the discovery of these sites is exhilarating and validating, these feelings are mixed with the humbling emotions of the sacrifices made by these service members and their families in protecting our freedoms.’

The researchers say they intend on continuing the search for more remains of aircraft and soldiers.

Derek Abbey, the CEO of Project Recover, believes that 28 World War Two-era aircraft linked to 103 MIAs are missing in Truk Lagoon.

‘Project Recover is honored to play our part in keeping our nation's promise of returning our fallen service members home and we remain committed to locating more Americans missing in action in Chuuk and around the world,’ he said in a statement.

Last month, Project Recover unveiled high-resolution images of a missing warplane that lay at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean just off the Hawaiian cost for nearly 80 years.