Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Lake Huron Red Tails! Tuskegee Airmen in Michigan

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology

Part of the book series: Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology ((CGHA))

  • 30 Accesses

Abstract

The U.S. Army Air Corps utilized Michigan airfields to provide advanced training for Tuskegee Airmen in 1943 and 1944. Fifteen of these airmen, the first African Americans to fly for the military, were killed while training in Michigan. Two of their airplanes, both Bell P-39Q Airacobras, have recently been discovered in the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. Because of their locations, the two aircraft wreck sites are owned and managed entirely differently. Additional aircraft flown by Tuskegee Airmen remain to be discovered in Michigan waters, and efforts are being made to locate, document, recover, and preserve these important pieces of our aviation heritage.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 119.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adrian Daily Telegram. (1943, September 29). Michigan in brief. Adrian Daily Telegram, p. 11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angelucci, E., & Matricardi, P. (1977). World War II airplanes, volume 2. Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caidin, M. (1944). Air tech presents the bell p-39 airacobra. Air Tech, 5(2), 17–23. 68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Capelotti, P. J. (1996). Buried treasure. Air & Space Smithsonian, 11(3), 68–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fix, P. D. (2011). From sky to sea: The case for aeronautical archaeology. In A. Catsambis, B. Ford, & D. L. Hamilton (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of maritime archaeology (pp. 989–1009). Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis, C. E. (1988). The Tuskegee airmen: The men who changed a nation. Branden Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis, C. E., & Caso, A. (1997). The Tuskegee airmen: The men who changed a nation. Branden Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Green Bay Press Gazette. (1994, August 21). War bird flies after half-century in Lake Michigan, a pilot has restored the World War II plane which crashed in 1944. Green Bay Press Gazette, p. B12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grulke, N. (2015, September 19). Plunging into history: Team dives site of World War II plane crash in Lake Huron. The Alpena News, p. 1C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, D. L. (1996). Basic methods on conserving underwater archaeological material culture. U.S. Department of Defense.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, S. (1998). Divers guide to Michigan, new, expanded edition! Maritime Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homan, L. M., & Reilly, T. (2008). Black knights: The story of the Tuskegee airmen. Pelican Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karl, J. 2002. The impacts of Zebra mussels on shipwrecks. Wisconsin’s Underwater Heritage, 12(2), 1, 4–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohl, C. (2008). The great lakes diving guide, enlarged 2nd edition. Seawolf Communications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leader-Telegram. (1994, August 21). Water to wind, navy airplane flies again after years at bottom of lake. Leader-Telegram, p. 10A.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenihan, D. J. (Ed.). (1987). Submerged cultural resources study: Isle Royale National Park. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lusardi, W. R. (2014). Michigan was home to several African-American Air Combat Units. Voyage to Discovery Newsletter, 1(1), 7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lusardi, W. R. (2018a). Aviators down: Survey summary. NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/18aviatorsdown/welcome.html. Accessed 12 Feb 2020.

  • Lusardi, W. R. (2018b). World War II aircraft lost in the great lakes. NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research. https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/18aviatorsdown/history.html. Accessed 12 Feb 2020.

  • Lusardi, W. R. (2019a). Aviators down! The search for Tuskegee and free French World War II aircraft in Lake Huron. New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration, 32(1), 122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lusardi, W. R. (2019b). Honoring the Tuskegee airmen. Earth is Blue, 4, 14–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lusardi, W. R. (2019c). Archaeological investigation of Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker wreckage 20AL103. Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maurer, M. (1982). Combat squadrons of the Air Force-World War II. Office of Air Force History Headquarters USAF.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • McKissack, P., & McKissack, F. (1995). Red-tail angels: The story of the Tuskegee airmen of World War II. Walker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mireles, A. J. (2006). Fatal army air forces aviation accidents in the United States 1941–1945. McFarland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muckelroy, K. (1978). Maritime archaeology. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Munson, K. (1985). US war birds from World War I to Vietnam. New Orchard Editions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patel, S. S. (2015). Last flight of a Tuskegee airman. Archaeology, 68(6), 20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raab, J. W. (1999). America’s daredevil balloonist W. H. Donaldson, 1840-1875. Sunflower University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Somers, P. M. (2003). Lake Michigan’s aircraft carriers. Arcadia Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • St. Petersburg Times. (1943, June 18). Negro officers killed in crash. St. Petersburg Times, p. 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stayer, J., & Stayer, P. (2012). Tuskegee Airacobra down! Out of the Blue Productions.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Baltimore Afro American. (1942, April 18). Candidate at Illinois. The Baltimore Afro American, p. 22.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Baltimore Afro American. (1943a, October 16). Selfridge pilots now fly P-39 airacobras, training goes on day and night with army’s fast pursuit ship. The Baltimore Afro American, p. 1, 9.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Baltimore Afro American. (1943b, November 13). Some of the planes our pilots are being trained to fly and service at Selfridge field. The Baltimore Afro American, p. 20.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Baltimore Afro American. (1943c, December 18). Dies in plane crash, pilot killed as combat plane dives into lake. The Baltimore Afro American, p. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Detroit Free Press. (1943, May 8). Selfridge flier dies in crash. The Detroit Free Press, p. 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Marion Star. (1943, May 8). Army pilot killed. The Marion Star, p. 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Milwaukee Journal. (1935, July 1). Two recovering after air crash. The Milwaukee Journal, p. 12.

    Google Scholar 

  • The News-Palladium. (1943, May 10). Officer flyer falls into Bay off Lake Huron, Lieut. Sidat-Singh not seen after crash into water. The News-Palladium, p. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Owosso Argus-Press. (1974, June 13). Fighter plane crashes. The Owosso Argus-Press, p. 30.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Pittsburgh Courier. (1943a, May 22). New planes needed at Selfridge Field, Cadets are not flying P-40’s, Colonel Westbrook Grounds 332nd Fighter Group until new ships arrive – Sidat-Singh still missing, Westbrook relieved at Selfridge Field. The Pittsburgh Courier, p. 1, 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Pittsburgh Courier. (1943b, July 24). Did faulty engines cause 8 air deaths? The Pittsburgh Courier, p. 1, 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Pittsburgh Courier. (1943c, October 9). Second N.Y. pilot killed in one week. The Pittsburgh Courier, p. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Pittsburgh Courier. (1943d, December 18). Another Selfridge pilot dies in crash. The Pittsburgh Courier, p. 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Tawas Herald. (1943, May 14). Oscoda Plane crashes into Lake Huron, coast guard and army men unable to locate flier. The Tawas Herald, p. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Air Force. (2013). Chapter 5: Air force instruction AFI 23–101, air force materiel management. In Delivery of materiel. USAF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Heest, V. O. (2013). Fatal crossing: The mysterious disappearance of NWA flight 2501 and the quest for answers. In-Depth Editions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiles, R. (2013). Fireball over little Traverse Bay: The January 7, 1971 crash of B-52 Model C, 54-2666 training bomber into Lake Michigan. Mackinac Journal: Magazine of the Straits, 2013, 4–8.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Maritime Archaeologist, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Alpena, MI, USA

    Wayne R. Lusardi

Authors
  1. Wayne R. Lusardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wayne R. Lusardi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. AerAqua Project, Corpus Christi, TX, USA

    Hunter W. Whitehead

  2. Beacon Heritage, Seattle, WA, USA

    Megan Lickliter-Mundon

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Lusardi, W.R. (2023). Lake Huron Red Tails! Tuskegee Airmen in Michigan. In: Whitehead, H.W., Lickliter-Mundon, M. (eds) Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology. Contributions To Global Historical Archaeology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40963-9_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40963-9_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-40962-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-40963-9

  • eBook Packages: HistoryHistory (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation