CA excavates underwater WWII aircraft crash site in Vanuatu

By Tara Chilcott

August 12, 2024

Cosmos Archaeology has recently undertaken fieldwork in partnership with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). DPAA is a US Department of Defense Agency whose mission is to provide the fullest possible accounting for US personnel missing from armed conflicts around the world.

Cosmos Archaeology worked alongside the team from Professional Diving Services (PDS), to investigate and excavate a WWII-era underwater aircraft crash site in Vanuatu.

L-R: PDS divers Dan Farnham, Jason Blackwell, CA Maritime Archaeologist Jane Mitchell, PDS divers Malcolm Venturoni, Felix Venturoni, Adelle Scott and John Osmond.

During WWII, the United States established a military base on the islands of Efate and Santo to stop the advancing Imperial Japanese Army. The infrastructure included airstrips and wharves. According to the US Embassy, there are approximately 272 missing American service members in Vanuatu and the surrounding waters.

The CA team, led by Jane Mitchell, completed a three-week excavation at the aircraft crash site. The results have been sent to the DPAA for further analysis. More details about the project and the official handover ceremony can be found here.