DIVE LOG DECEMBER 25 ISSUE 415

Cameos from the Solomon Islands: Plane wrecks Bell P39 Air Cobra 27 m 30 min from Munda, Western Provence

The Air Cobra was used against the Japanese in WW2. The Air Cobra is unique amongst fighter planes in that it was designed around its far more powerful gunnery. Its main armament was a 37 mm cannon that fired through the centre of the propeller. This made it very accurate and stable. The wreck is located twenty-five minutes away by boat near Rendova Island, Munda in twenty seven metres of water. It is close to the PT boat base where one day to be US president, John F. Kennedy, spent a lot of time in 1942 and 1943. You can still see the belts of ammunition on the dive. Sadly, many other WW2 planes had lost their ammo to looters and souvenir hunters. This makes the Air Cobra unique. The thirty-nine probably refers to its top speed of three hundred and ninety miles an hour. It was outclassed by Japanese Zeros at altitudes above 6000 metres but was invaluable in low level attacks on Japanese airfields. The total number manufactured was around 9,500 planes, about half were used by the Russians in WW2 and may have been delivered by the maritime Navy in the infamous PQ17 convoy. The PQ17 convoy is one of the great stories of WW2 shipping.

The pilot sat very high in the plane giving him great vision. The engine was behind the cockpit with a long drive shaft that ran right under his feet to turn the propeller. This American P 39 fighter wreck was discovered in 2011. On our dive, we had crystal clear water. A school of Sweetlips hung lazily off one wing. We checked out the cockpit, ammo, guns, propellor and the fuselage. My guide guide, Sunga, has been one of the most experienced divers and instructors in the Solomon Islands for many years.

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92IVE LOG Australasia #415 - December‘25

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