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Heritage Command

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Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Archaeologist Dr. George Schwarz was joined by more than 45 volunteers from nearly a dozen organizations wading through dense vegetation and sifting through Florida sand Feb. 18-20 in the hopes of finding more clues to a Navy aircraft crash that happened more than seven decades ago. Osteen resident Rodney Thomas uncovered what appeared to be a part from an aircraft more than three years ago when he was experimenting with a new metal detector on his property. After finding dozens of pieces, he decided he wanted to learn about what might have led to the crash, and perhaps the identity of the pilot. He contacted Scott Storz, a volunteer at the DeLand Naval Air Station Museum (DNASM), in search of help understanding what he was finding. One small, two-inch square, slightly crumpled piece of metal gave the first significant clue with a clearly visible engraving: SBD-5. Best known for their superior performance in sinking four Japanese …show more content…

If anything had been discovered, then the state medical examiner would have been brought in to evaluate the remains. NHHC archaeologists, armed with more data, will continue to work with the DLNASM, which retained the majority of the parts on loan for their historical value to their community. "We will input GPS data, analyze the artifacts to get a sense of what is present at the site and see if we can find patterns, such as a concentration of cockpit materials. We will also catalogue the artifacts and write a report on the findings," said Schwarz. While three days does not seem like much time, it did give archaeologists an excellent opportunity to work with the local community to assess the site and decide if additional time would be necessary for a longer, more intensive

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