- 11 crew members perished in 1944 B-24 crash near New Guinea
- Navy divers reached 200ft depth using pressurized bell technology
- DNA analysis identified four soldiers after 12-year investigation
- Families achieve closure through coordinated military-civilian recovery efforts
On March 11, 1944, the Heaven Can Wait bomber plunged into Pacific waters during a critical WWII mission, leaving eleven service members designated as non-recoverablefor generations. Today, groundbreaking deep-sea recovery techniques and persistent family advocacy have rewritten this historical tragedy, bringing four airmen home eight decades later.
The Army Air Forces B-24 Liberator faced catastrophic engine failure after enemy fire struck its fuel systems during a bombing run near present-day Papua New Guinea. Eyewitness accounts from surviving squadron members confirmed no parachutes emerged before the aircraft disappeared beneath the waves. For 74 years, the crash site remained undiscovered despite multiple search attempts by post-war recovery teams.
Modern undersea exploration technologies enabled the 2023 breakthrough. Scripps Institution oceanographers deployed autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) with side-scan sonar to map 27 square kilometers of seabed. Navy saturation divers then completed 28 days of hazardous work at 61-meter depths, recovering artifacts like Staff Sgt. Darrigan's dog tag still bearing his wife's contact information.
Three critical factors made this identification possible:
- Advancements in mitochondrial DNA analysis of bone fragments
- Decades-preserved personal effects sealed in anaerobic deepwater environments
- Cross-referencing military records with family genealogical data
The emotional impact on descendants underscores why MIA recovery matters. Eugene Darrigan's grandson Eric Schindler, born 56 years after the crash, finally laid his grandfather to rest beside the infant son who never knew him. Thomas Kelly's burial near his childhood home completes a circle begun when teenage relatives first tended his memorial stone.
This mission establishes new precedents for WWII-era recoveries. Project Recover's public-private partnership model has identified 35 missing service members since 2017, with Papua New Guinea's waters revealing six aircraft wrecks in 2023 alone. Military historians note the region's strategic importance during the New Guinea Campaign, where over 200 Allied planes were lost.
As the DPAA prepares future dives to identify remaining crew members, this success demonstrates how technological innovation and familial determination can heal century-old wounds. The four airmen's final journeys home – spanning three generations and multiple continents – redefine what closuremeans for military families worldwide.
