'Find the Crashed US Military Bomber'... First Korea-US Underwater Investigation

US Military Remains of B-26 Bomber Crashed in 1953 to Be Investigated in Busan Haeundae

The South Korean and U.S. forces have begun searching for the wreckage of a U.S. military bomber and the remains of its pilot that crashed during the Korean War in the waters off Haeundae, Busan. This marks the first time that South Korea and the U.S. have conducted an underwater investigation for the excavation of war casualties.

On the 22nd, the Ministry of National Defense's Remains Recovery and Identification Unit (hereafter referred to as the KNRIU) announced that, together with the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), they have been conducting a joint underwater investigation since the 7th in the waters off Haeundae, Busan, to locate the U.S. military aircraft and pilot remains that crashed during the Korean War.

The joint underwater investigation aims to find the remains of one B-26 bomber from the U.S. 5th Air Force, which crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Busan K9 Airfield around January 1953 while on a mission, along with the three U.S. military personnel aboard. The underwater investigation involves searching an area of approximately 20 square kilometers using underwater detection equipment, and if any unusual objects are found, divers and remotely operated vehicles are deployed to further inspect the seabed for fighter wreckage.

Conducted to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and initiated last year at the request of the U.S. side, the underwater investigation includes 13 U.S. personnel from DPAA such as divers and underwater archaeologists, as well as 7 U.S. Navy divers stationed in South Korea. On the Korean side, specialized investigation personnel, 10 divers from the Naval Rescue Squadron, and naval vessels were deployed to support the operation.

The investigation area saw active support from the Naval Operations Command and the U.S. Naval Forces Korea Command, with participation from a mine countermeasure ship (MSH) equipped with hull-mounted sonar, a rescue support boat (YDT) equipped with special equipment such as remotely operated vehicles, decompression chambers, and sonar. Additionally, U.S. special equipment including a side-scan sonar and a magnetometer mounted on a high-speed rigid inflatable boat (RIB) were also deployed.

In the deep offshore waters, the seabed was surveyed using underwater acoustic detectors mounted on the hull of the mine countermeasure ship. The joint South Korea-U.S. underwater investigation team operated from the high-speed boat, towing side-scan sonar and magnetometers to thoroughly scan the seabed at depths of approximately 5 to 25 meters near Haeundae. Subsequently, South Korean and U.S. divers descended to suspected locations on the seabed and conducted investigations using metal detectors and underwater navigators.

Captain Patrick Anderson of the U.S. DPAA, who participated in the investigation, stated, "We participate in the underwater investigation with the belief that the nation must take responsibility for those who sacrificed for the country," adding, "If there is even a 1% chance of locating missing persons, we will make every effort."

According to reports, South Korea and the U.S. plan to consider additional on-site investigations for the excavation of U.S. military war casualties based on the results of the joint underwater investigation, which is scheduled to conclude on the 27th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.