There’s Something Incredible Hiding Beneath This Nevada Lake…And You’ll Want To See It
Treasures have been hidden beneath Lake Mead ever since the Hoover Dam was built. In order to dam the Colorado River and create the man-made reservoir, several nearby towns were intentionally flooded. One of these towns, St. Thomas, has re-emerged due to Lake Mead’s low waters.
Photo Courtesy Gary Hodum
At least one treasure, however, ended up there quite unintentionally. It's a B-29 Superfortress Bomber, which crashed into Lake Mead on July 21, 1948. The high-altitude bomber is submerged at the bottom of the lake's Overton Arm.
B-29 Superfortress Bombers (like the one pictured above) were on the cutting edge of technology for their time. The B-29 under Lake Mead was performing atmospheric testing when pilot error led it to crash. The five-person crew was rescued, but the plane has been submerged in Lake Mead ever since.
Local divers happened upon the B-29 wreckage in 2002. In 2003, the wreckage was officially mapped and documented by National Park Service archaeologists.
Local divers happened upon the B-29 wreckage in 2002. In 2003, the wreckage was officially mapped and documented by National Park Service archaeologists.
Since the discovery, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area has been named as the legal custodian of the B-29 and its wreckage. While the LMNRA wants to encourage heritage tourism, the plane's remains are extremely delicate and easy to destroy. In order to preserve the plane, the dive site remains restricted, but qualified divers can schedule a tour through Scuba Training and Technology Inc.
Learn more about Lake Mead's crashed B-29 here:
Learn more about Lake Mead's crashed B-29 here:
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