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| IJN Tainan Kōkūtai or 2nd Kōkūtai |
Aircraft History Built by Mitsubishi during middle of June 1942 as the 14th Model 32 manufactured. At the factory, painted overall gray with a black cowling. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as Type 0 Carrier Fighter / A6M3 Model 32 Zero manufacture number 3013. Wartime History This Zero was disassembled and transported as cargo to Rabaul. The plane was one of twenty early Model 32 Zeros disassembled as crated cargo and loaded aboard Nisshin Maru No. 2 as cargo then transported to Rabaul arriving July 29, 1942 and reassembled over the next several days. Alternately, this Zero was one of fifteen early A6M3 Model 32 Zeros disassembled and loaded aboard Yawata Maru as cargo and delivered to Lakunai Airfield near Rabaul on August 6, 1942 and reassembled over the next several days. Assigned to an unknown Kōkūtai (Air Group) at Rabaul. Likely assigned to the Tainan Kōkūtai (Tainan Air Group) or 2nd Kōkūtai (2nd Air Group) as one of the first A6M3 Model 32 Zeros based at Rabaul. Mission History This Zero ditched into Simpson Harbor off the western end of Lakunai Airfield south of Rabaul. Wreckage This Zero is intact upside down in mud at a depth of 59' / 18m. The plane has bullet holes and damage on the fuselage. On November 29, 2010 plane was spotted on side scan sonar by Rodney Pearce. On December 10, 2010 Rodney Pearce made the first dive. Rodney Pearce adds: "The tail plane in buried in volcanic mud and wont be able to get this later. The a/c is on the inside on the harbor just off the airfield about .20 of a mile in 18 meters. This is on the inside of Simpson Harbor. The a/c has square wing tips so is a model 32. The aircraft has a lot of battle damage 20mm and 50 mostly around the cockpit area. The cockpit is covered with silt and the Zero is upside down in 18 meters of water. Have not got into cockpit yet as it is filled with mud. Have found the Japanese insignia on the wings in good condition. I discovered a component dataplate from under tail plane with "5864" and the date "2-5-15" (May 15, 1942)." Jim Long adds: "The component number 5864 is compatible with Mitsubishi manufacture numbers. It may have been on a nameplate on one of the horizontal tail members. Those nameplates are on the underside of the horizontal tail members, near the inner end, easy to spot. A painted stencil of the airframe MN should have been near it. The number indicates that the component was the 864th such piece made by Mitsubishi. It would not be inconsistent to find the 864th tail unit on the 13th A6M3 which was the 819th A6M airframe build by the company. " References Production figures of the Mitsubishi/Nakajima A6M Zero by Jim Long Thanks to Rodney Pearce and Jim Long for additional information Contribute
Information Last Updated
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 Zero  Photo Archive  Dataplate 5864 No. 1 Dataplate 5864 No. 2  59' / 18m |
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