Warplanes Lost & Found in The Bahamas - Paperback

by Eric Wiberg (Author)

This is the true story of how a multinational crew coalesced to locate ten World War II aircraft in the Bahamas. They unearthed truths behind pilots from all over who flew and crashed in the sea and on land, or were rescued by persons on remote islands. The story starts with the author finding the wreck of a B-26 Marauder that he had been seeking since his teens. Now in middle age, nevertheless friends, family and strangers pitch in their boats, homes, time and expertise. Guided by fishermen, a minister, policemen, and teachers, small teams of volunteers found wrecks undisturbed for nearly a century.

Over 100 volunteers solved the fates of fighters, amphibians, a Wright Brothers aircraft from 1930, bombers and blimps. The teams roved from Hard Bargain to the vast empty which is the Great Bahama Bank to Cay Sal Bank. Astoundingly, three aircraft were found mere yards from resorts and clubs. These seekers of bombers on a budget lived and grounded their boats by the maxim: our boat is so deep, yet these waters are not. Cut, bruised, and blinded in one eye, they did not give up. In 2021 the author knew next to nothing about warplane types, and may have quit. In 2023 he will be the keynote speaker at the annual gathering of the largest B-26 Marauder group in the world; on an airfield. This is the unlikely story of how that happened.

This is Eric Wiberg's 45th book. When ashore, he lives in Boston with his son Felix.