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WWII fighter plane recovered from Lake Michigan

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    Aircraft retrieved after 65 years

  • Duration 3:19
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New information not a very cool story that -- both of live right here -- happening now on Friday World War II fighter plane that's been sitting at the bottom of Lake Michigan for more than 65 years.

Is now on the surface as you can see right now at this moment it's in a hangar where locals can get a look at at the for a moves on to its new home.

At the national museum at naval aviation in Pensacola.

Florida I have military I'm -- is retired from the US navy works at the national.

Naval aviation museum and terrorists and Sankoh is an eight and T recovery general manager.

Who helps recover the plane so I'm asserting with you first why this plane -- you want to see this one under on the surface.

Well this is an airplane that represents.

The greatest generation in World War II of these young men and women that flew these aircraft -- maintain those airplanes and don't the wildcats.

Was our Frontline fighter at the beginning a World War II so to bring an aircraft like this back -- -- existence.

For all Americans and people from around the world to see.

Is critically important to our mission of presenting and -- in preserving the history of naval aviation.

And terrorist these things were pretty rugged when they were built but it's pretty hard to bring them to the surface after what 65 years without them breaking to pieces how did you do that.

Well I wanna say it's really difficult but we've been doing it for years and we've done and a number of times we do it is very slowly and very carefully.

Towing it as I understand he had told -- thing underwater.

Slower than a person walks.

Yeah well it was about 45 miles from shore so.

-- several days of tellingly we we which is it's a long tiring.

Process and we have to have an absolute calm perfectly calm -- to do it.

Well is really an amazing elasticity continue to watch some of the pictures that we have.

From that day at wrong curious weight -- we're talking a little bit about the journey that this plane takes me mention his.

Is it a -- that it's gonna go to Pensacola Florida but I read it takes five years to restore why so long and where do you even start.

Well the restoration.

Of these priceless artifacts as is very important year for our foundation in the museum.

When it gets down here in Pensacola will go through a very rigorous process of of removing the 65 plus years of of June can -- that's on that airplane plus.

Those old -- and everything.

-- what you find is that many of the structural members that holes that are playing together.

Have deteriorated so we have to rebuild many of those not very many parched from those -- -- from 65 years ago.

So it's a long painstaking process.

And depending on funding it can go a little bit faster you know we've we've done some -- -- -- is short as two years.

We've had other airplanes are really large when that took almost ten years -- up to -- it and it looks great in our museum today.

Well we can't wait to see the final product and over excited for -- process to get started admiral nice to have you with us and -- -- thank you thank you -- well we'll continue to watch as more planes potentially.

Come to the surface from Lake Michigan thank you -- you vote.

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