Lake Harris near Leesburg, Florida holds the remains of a P-39 Airacobra that crashed in the lake during a training mission. Dallas Tohill, a treasure aircraft salvor, told me about that find. He said there wasn't enough left to bother with.
Lake Dorr near the Ocala National Forest had a target set up in the middle of the lake and Dive Bombers: Dauntless, Helldiver, Vultee, Vindicator & F4F Wildcats were the popular dive bombers of the day. Old timers in the region stated that many pilots couldn't pull the aircraft out of their steep practice dives and they smashed into the lake. The lake bottom is covered in Naval plane wreckage. I've been told that the Navy keep salvagers from recovering the wreckage.
During the Drought of 2000, a P-51 Mustang was partly recovered from middle of Lake Louise where it crashed in 1944.
Two P-47 Thunderbolts were recovered from Lake Kerr near Ocala about 20 years ago. The pilots mistook the smooth lake for an airstrip and sank their planes into the lake in 1943. One of those planes was being restored at the USAF museum.
Lake Harris also had a PBY base near the present day airport. An old timer told me that at war's end. PBY parts were carried to the end of the pier and dumped into the lake. Full toolboxes were heaved into the mud bottom and a 1943 Jeep was pushed off that pier as well.
In the early 1960's, when the Sanford Air Station was closed. Personnel dug a huge pit where they parked the aircraft tugs, Jeeps, several toolboxes full of tools, parts for 1960 era Jets and who knows what else. And they buried it then placed a guard on it until it was finally turned over to be a civilian airport in the 1970's.
Ground penetrating radar could probably find this treasure trove.
Good luck if you search for these.
Harry
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