The B-17 Flying Fortress That Never Came Home | Ernest Vienneau's Last Flight

In November 1944, a B-17 Flying Fortress was struck by flak, killing the navigator instantly. His crew placed him in the nose tunnel for safekeeping, intending to bring him home. The aircraft never made it back and ditched off the island of Vis in Croatia.

For decades, the wreck lay silent on the seabed, guarding Ernest Vienneau until his remains were finally recovered by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)

In this video I explore this incredibly preserved B-17 Wreck. You will see the cockpit, the engines, and the specific tunnel section where the navigator was found.

In this dive:
*The history of the B-17 mission in 1944.
*Technical Scuba Diving Vis Island: navigating the deep wreck
*A comparison of the ditching performance of the B-17 and B-24

You may also enjoy my video about diving the B-24 Lady Luck which lies close by -    • The Lady Luck B-24 Liberator Crash Site; W...  

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THE LOCATION
If you want to dive this B-17, the B-24 Lady Luck, and/or the many other wrecks on the island of Vis, I strongly recommend Manta Divers and my friend Andi Marovic. He's at andi_marovic@hotmail.com or https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...

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THANKS
Thanks to those who have allowed me to use their footage and images
John Potten
Fran Hockley
Andi Marovic

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Highlights
00:00 Introduction
02:23 Why did it ditch?
04:19 The Cockpit
04:46 How did the crew escape?
06:13 Waist gunners
06:56 Tail gun
08:06 Sperry Ball Turret
09:02 How did the pilots escape
10:00 Wrecks with human remains?
12:08 Recovery of Ernest Vienneau
13:40 Comparison with B-24 Lady Luck
15:16 B-17 Flying Fortress Ditching
17:45 History on the seabed
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ABOUT THIS CHANNEL
Deep Wreck Diver explores shipwrecks, submarines, and sunken aircraft from around the world - combining technical diving with detailed wreck identification and historical storytelling. Every dive uncovers a piece of history lost to the depths.

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Kit I Use
Note, some of these are affiliate links so help support making my videos:
👉 Gloves are Ansell Alphatec 87-063 - https://amzn.to/4jDHhX4
👉 Drysuit is an O-Three Ri2-100 - https://www.othree.co.uk/drysuit-rang...
👉 CCR is an AP Diving Inspiration (XPD) - https://www.apdiving.com/
👉 Backup computer is a Shearwater Perdix v2 - https://amzn.to/42FXZOW
👉 Reels are by Kent Tooling - https://www.divingproducts.co.uk/
👉 Phone housing is Divevolk Seatouch 4 Max - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_omJ...
👉 Stickers for gear by Dive Signs - https://www.divesigns.com/
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Video Gear
I use the following gear (also affiliate links)
👉 Action Camera is Insta360 Acep Pro 2 - http://bit.ly/4nkMEwA
👉 Helmet mounted cameras are Paralenz Vaquita
👉 Video light is LetonPower Sealion L24 (10% off!) - http://bit.ly/4nFLCva
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Strobes
I use two different strobes (also affiliate links)
👉 Prozhaozhu 3000 Lumen Diving Strobe - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oBM...
👉 Prozhaozhu 4000 Lumen Diving Strobe - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oCT...
👉 Jon clip - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDq...

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#ww2 #scubadiving #wreckdiving #b17 #b24 #croatia #underwater #worldwarii #technicaldiving