Douglas SBD Dauntless bomber on the Pacific seabed

A sunken Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber of the US Air Force is lying on the Pacific Ocean seabed with another Allied aircraft behind it, which appears to be a Douglas SBD Dauntless as well.

The pictured bombers are just two of many US aircrafts which were intentionally dumped in the lagoon of Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, at the end of World War II. The planes were pushed into the ocean from aircraft carriers and transport ships, as they were no longer needed (thus still being mostly whole and in remarkable condition even today).

Despite being considered obsolete by 1941, the SBD Dauntless was USA’s main carrier-based scout plane and dive bomber from 1940 until mid-1944, sinking more enemy ships in the Pacific than any other Allied aircraft. The “slow but deadly” bomber struck decisive blows against the Japanese fleet and to this day it is considered one of the greatest aircrafts of World War II.

Book suggestions ⤵️

📖 WWII Wrecks Of The Kwajalein And Truk Lagoons (Dan E. Bailey, 1989)

📖 The Dauntless Dive Bomber of World War II (Barrett Tillman, 1976)

Photo source: Brandi Mueller