PORTAGE (WKZO-AM) — It was a great way to kick off an Independence Day weekend, celebrating one of the weapons of democracy that played a pivotal role in World War-2.
The Douglas Dauntless that pulled up to the front of the Air Zoo in pieces, on the back of a truck will be restored and become an exhibit in a Naval Museum in Hawaii.
Until then it will be on display at the Air Zoo and restored right where everyone can see the work being done.
The dive bomber was pulled up from the bottom of Lake Michigan where it sat for nearly 70 years, its history is almost as murky as the lake bottom where it was found.
They believe it flew combat missions during the Battle of the Coral Sea and saw service on both the U.S.S. Enterprise and the Yorktown, both aircraft carriers.
It was then shipped back to the U.S. and ended its life as a training plane at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Chicago. That’s how it ended up in Lake Michigan.
The old planes are being plucked out of the lake one at a time because there is an interest in having them restored and shipped to museums all over the U.S.
Kevin Mazer who works in the restoration shop says this particular plane is in great shape compared to the Wildcat, which was also brought up from Lake Michigan and had been assaulted by Zebra Muscles before it was delivered to the Air Zoo a few years ago.
Still he says it could take them five years or more to return the SBD’s good looks. It will never fly again, except perhaps as cargo in a much larger plane.
About 200 showed up for the arrival ceremony. Among them was 93-year-old Paul Waters, who actually trained in the Dauntless before moving on to Hellcats during WW-2.
They trained in the plane because while he says the Dauntless was slower, it still handled like a fighter.
He says it was amazing to see how well this plane survived 7 decades under water. He says it will look like it just rolled off the factory floor when they are done with it.
