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Aircraft History Built by Curtiss in Buffalo, New York. Constructors Number unknown (five digits). Delivered U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as P-40N Warhawk serial number 42-?????? (last six digits unknown). Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF). The precise identity of this aircraft is unknown. Mission History This P-40 crashed or ditched into the sea off of Brandi into Boram Bay to the east of east of Cape Moem and Wewak. The aircraft is upside down on a flat sandy bottom with the upper fuselage partially buried in the sand. A single propeller blade pointed upward that is slightly bent from the crash. The tail section beyond the rear fuselage is missing. The landing gear is retracted into the wing. The precise identity of this P-40 has not been confirmed. At least two known losses could match this loss location. The first possibility is P-40N Warhawk pilot 1st Lt. John F. Crowley crashed January 23, 1944 when it nosed over and crashed near Cape Moem and the pilot was not observed to have bailed out and remains listed as Missing In Action (MIA). A second possibility is P-40N 42-105517 pilot 2nd Lt. Dale F. Arnold crashed into the sea off Cape Moem on April 7, 1944 and remains listed as Missing In Action (MIA). During November 2003 and August 2004, this aircraft was dived by John Douglas and Justin Taylan. At that time the aircraft was partially buried in the sand. John Douglas adds: "The tail is missing. The machine guns are gone, possibly salvaged during the war, as the Japanese had a large camp on the nearby beach. One possibility is a P-40 that was seen to roll over and crash into the sea, if so, probably an MIA case." Justin Taylan adds: "I dove this wreck twice with John Douglas. The first time was during November 2003 during the wet season and the sea was very murky water. The second time was in early August 2004 and the sea was very clear." References Thanks to John Douglas and Justin Taylan for additional information Contribute
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