By the summer of 1943 Japanese forces in the Pacific were on the defensive. The Solomon Islands were in allied hands and Papua New Guinea was no longer at risk of falling. On 11 July a Japanese convoy from Rabul to Lae carrying 7000 troops was attacked and virtually annihilated by B17 Flying Fortresses. Less than 900 troops survived.
For this mission B17 Blackjack carried a scratch crew commanded by Lieutenant Ralph DeLoach. It was not their lucky day. The aircraft was having engine problems even before the attack but pushed on. Following the attack first one then both engines on one wing failed.
This was not the end of their bad luck. Encountering a tropical storm the aircraft became lost and blown further off course. Blackjack was running low on fuel and becoming increasingly difficult to fly. With no options left, DeLoach made the decision to ditch the aircraft on a shallow reef.
With a sandy seabed, a grey aluminium aircraft and light blue water there is very little contrast. As my eyes adjust I can just about make out the tail and the other wingtip, establishing the visibility as about 30 metres to match the B17's wing span.
I loop out in front of the wreck to see just how much I can get into the viewfinder of my camera. All four engines retain their propeller blades. I can see that the nose has been crushed and bent upwards by the crash.
Returning to the fuselage, the dorsal turret located behind the cockpit is intact and pointing to the tail. Further back above the radio room the escape hatch through which the crew made their exit lies open. Windows at the waist lie open where machine guns were jettisoned. Inside the fuselage is a seething mass of glass fish.
Lieutenant DeLoach was awarded the Silver Star for his flying skills. After the war he went on to become and advertising icon as "Malbro Man" and subsequently worked as the horse wrangler for the Medicine Woman television series.