The aircraft B-24 bomber was the last piece produced in the Douglas Factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and its built was paid by the factory workers and local residents, who gave it a nickname Tulsamerican.
On December 17, 1944, a bomber B-24 Liberator and others set off from base in Torretta towards the town of Odertal, near the Polish-German border. Over the Czech Republic, the formation was attacked by German division. Close to the island of Vis (Croatia), it turned out that due to damages it was impossible to eject the undercarriage. The flight controller did not allow the landing on the belly, as this could hinder or even prevent the further operation of the airport. The plane went-around of the sea. In the middle of the second lap over the sea, when the plane was in a bad position in respect to the wind, the engines suddenly stopped and the plane hit the sea in the next moment. As a result of the crash, the plane collapsed into two parts.
Seven crew members were rescued – the pilot, mechanic and navigator failed to get out of the drowning plane.
The wreck of B-24 Liberator Tulsamerican lies on the bottom of the Adriatic Sea near the islet of Veli Paržanj, south-east of the island of Vis. Near the hull there is a concrete block to which the anchor line is led. The hull is located at the depth of 40 m.
