Divers Find Korean War-Era Airplane Off San Diego

[DeeperBlue.com]

A pair of divers found a lost Korean War-era fighter plane off the coast of San Diego, California recently. A local Fox television station reported that the aircraft was identified as an A-1…

Click here for original DeeperBlue.com Post...

 

[Bill McIntyre]

Its hard to believe that it was undetected all those years in only 60 feet of water in an area with so much diving activity. I can't help wondering if other divers have seen it but simply passed it by?

While it was a Korean War vintage aircraft, the US Navy was still flying it during the Vietnam war as an air-to-ground attack aircraft. It didn't even have a lead computing gunsight for air-to-air engagements, but a Navy pilot still found fame by shooting down a North Vietnamese MIG. They were in Laos and there was a hill sticking up into a thick overcast so that the MIG couldn't work in the vertical plane. The MIG pilot made the mistake of coming down and chasing the A-1 around the hill. The A-1 had a much tighter turn radius, and when the MIG overshot its turn the pilot reversed his turn and simply held down the trigger. The MIG flew through the stream of rounds and was shot down. It was a really big deal for the A-1 community.

I can't recall whether the was a MIG-17 or a 19, but I think it was one of those.

 

[agbiv]

Actually two Mig-17's (and possibly a 3rd) were shot down by SPAD's--one in '65 (+ one unconfirmed) and one in '66. Tough bird.

 

[agbiv]

There's a good video on Youtube of the '66 shootdown under "Dogfights Gun Kills of the Vietnam"