OAHU, HAWAII—Students from the University of Hawaii Marine Option Program conducted a detailed archaeological survey of a Catalina PBY-5, one of 27 U.S. Navy “flying boats” that were damaged during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Research groups have attempted to study the long-range patrol bombers in the past, but murky waters prevented them from completing the task. Led by maritime archaeologist Hans Van Tilburg of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the students had better conditions for their expedition this year. They used improved camera equipment to map the entire site, which includes the three pieces of the plane resting at a depth of 30 feet in Kāne’ohe Bay. “The new images and site plan help tell the story of a largely forgotten casualty of the attack. The sunken PBY plane is a very important reminder of the ‘Day of Infamy,’ just like the USS Arizona and USS Utah. They are all direct casualties of December 7,” Van Tilburg said in a press release. He thinks that the plane’s crew may have died while attempting to take off during the attack. To read more about underwater archaeology, go to "Shipwreck Alley."