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| IJN ? Kōkūtai |
Aircraft History Built by Mitsubishi during middle November 1943. At the factory, painted with green upper surfaces and gray lower surfaces. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as Type 0 Carrier Fighter / A6M5 Model 52 Zero manufacture number 4213. Wartime History Assigned to an unknown Kōkūtai (Air Group). Plane number 154. Mission History This Zero ditched off Mongo on New Britain, approximately a mile north is Cape Palliser. The plane likely ran out of fuel or experienced mechanical trouble and ditched. Wreckage This Zero is upside down on a reef wall with the nose at a depth of 60' / 18m and tail at 83' / 25m. The plane has no apparent battle damage. The canopy is open and no remains were found inside. The Zero is in excellent condition with little damage. Reportedly, this Zero was found by SCUBA diver Hillary Wong. During 2002, the Zero was rediscovered by Rod Pearce and Don Fetterly. Rod Pearce adds: "I found the serial stencil 4213 I will send more info as it comes to hand. The writing on this a/c is perfect like it was painted yesterday it is all there and I don't have a camera. Depth of water 20 meters upside down. the ID plate of the tail plane. also its a/c #154. The fuselage national insignia only has a dark color band not quite black but definitely not white of approx 60-70mm running around the out side of the red ball the entire a/c seems to be painted grey same as the Model 32. National insignia is also on wings. This a/c is also upside down, has long barrel version of the 20mm. Can not find tail markings at this stage but am sure they are there. Cockpit open. Very little damage. The aircraft number is 154 painted in brown or gold numbering on the bottom of engine cowling. It also had the stencil with the number 4213 [right side stencil] painted on the underside of tail plane near where there is a data plate but has gone on this one. It has suffered battle damage. On the tail there seems to be two black lines aprox 100mm wide and something in between theses lines. Also on the undercarriage retraction fairing there seems to be a painted number but in black. The engine cowling is painted a blue black color the rest of the a/c is painted sky grey." Don Fetterly adds: "This is an early production Model 52 as it has drum fed long barrel 20mm cannons. Plane is orthogonal to wall and less than 40' from shore." References Thanks to Rod Pearce and Don Fetterly and for information Contribute
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