Lecture Series- Lake Huron Red Tails: Recovering a World War II Tuskegee Airplane

Whispers Across the Water continues with guest presenter Wayne Lusardi as he shares his experiences recovering a World War II Tuskegee airplane that crashed into Lake Huron in 1944.

Since 2015, Michigan’s State Maritime Archaeologist Wayne Lusardi has been leading expeditions to archaeologically document the airplane wreck in Lake Huron. In 1944 a Bell P39 Airacobra flown by Tuskegee airman Lieutenant Frank Moody crashed into the lake during a training mission. The pilot was killed and the aircraft was lost until divers discovered the wrecked airplane in 2014. Utilizing the skills and experiences of various organizations including law enforcement agencies, the State of Michigan, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and members of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers and Diving with a Purpose, Lusardi organized and led a team that was able to document most of the scattered pieces of the wrecked aircraft. Following documentation, Lusardi has been actively working with a variety of partners to recover, conserve and exhibit the aircraft in Detroit.

This lecture is part of our year-long programmatic series Whispers Across the Water that showcases and celebrates the invaluable contributions of minority communities to Great Lakes maritime history and heritage.