Douglas Skyraider (AD-5N)

History: The Skyraider’s Service life spanned from 1946 to the early 1980’s. The served in conflicts in Korea and Vietnam primarily for close air support.

This Skyraider was in a 3-seat configuration and was equipped with additional radar equipment to enhance its nighttime intercept capabilities. It crashed upon takeoff from the US Navy airfield at Cubi Point on April 27th, 1964. All crew members escaped the crash. The engine is missing, but the canopy is open so divers can enjoy inspecting the pilot’s controls and radar operator’s equipment. There are four powerful 20mm cannons in the wings.

L2DTabby

History: The L2D Tabby aircraft is a copy of the famous DC-3 Dakota / C47 Skytrain. They were made under license in Japan prior to WWII and were based in Clark Airfield during the war.

This Japanese war wreck was used as a transport aircraft that crashed in Subic Bay during WWII. The plane lies upside down at 43 meters and is mostly intact. The cockpit area is torn open, making the seats and flight controls easily viewed. One of the Mitsubishi radial engines and a propeller are located a few meters from the wreck. Several large grouper and snapper have made it their home and aren’t afraid to get up close and personal to divers moving calmly across the wreck. It gets a little tidal current which can effect visibility, making it 3 meters at times, but the average is 7-12m, occasionally getting up to 15m.

F4 Phantom

History: The F4 Phantom served as a fighter, interceptor, and bomber from 1960 to 1996. It was a twin-engine, supersonic jet and had a unique titanium airframe.

This wreck of a Vietnam-era US Navy F4 Phantom jet is an extraordinary site for divers. The aircraft lies on a sandy ocean floor outside Subic Bay and enjoys reliably great visibility. We believe the F4 was scuttled from an aircraft carrier since the avionics, engines, and ejection seats have been stripped and the wheels are down. The canopy is not present, so some divers pose for photographs in the cockpit. It’s home to schools of fusiliers, banner fish, lion fish and the occasional stone fish.

P-3 Orion (Tail Section)

History: With 4 turboprop engines and its distinctive tail “stinger”, the Lockheed P-3 Orion was the US Navy’s iconic Submarine Hunter, serving from the 1960s into the 2010s before being replaced by the P-7 and P-8. With its crew of 5 officers and 7 enlisted, it was capable of reconnaissance, search and rescue, and border patrol operations as well.

In June of 1979, this P-3 was taking off from NAS Cubi Point and experienced a propeller overspeed shortly after departure. The number 4 propeller broke free, striking number 3 and causing a fire. The plane tried to land but was full of fuel and thus overweight. With two engines out, It stalled, rolled, and crashed into the bay between Grande Island and the runway. 4 crew members and one passenger died as a result of the crash. Only the tail section has been positively identified but the wing is reportedly close.

* There is a possibility that this plane could have been from an earlier crash in 1971. Hopefully one day we’ll get to the bottom of it!

AJ-2 Savage Bomber

History: AJ-2 Savage served as a US carrier-based bomber, capable of carrying the MK3 atomic bomb. It was powered by two props, but also had a jet engine for bombing runs. It saw action in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.

This particular aircraft was an AJ-2P, configured to serve in a photo-reconnaissance role. It crashed in in January 1957 with all three crew members escaping with their lives. It lies upright on a sandy bottom, in approximately 69 meters, a short distance outside of the bay. Full Tec Trimix certification is recommended for this dive.