The B-17E Flying Fortress bomber wreck off Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands is one of the world’s most accessible and best-preserved WWII aircraft dive sites.
It is one of the most popular visits from our Emperor Divers Honiara centre. Not far from the Solomons’ capital city, it offers divers a rare chance to explore an almost-intact World War II aircraft and see where history and marine life intertwine.
This area saw some of the most intense and brutal fighting of the conflict. Fighting took place for six months between August 1942 and February 1943, during which time 24,000 Japanese men lost their lives while 1,600 Americans died in combat. Many thousands more succumbed to malaria and other tropical diseases.
Among those to pay the ultimate sacrifice were the crew of a B-17E – serial number 41-2420, also known as ‘Bessie the Jap Basher’.
The plane went down on September 24, 1942, during the height of the Guadalcanal campaign. Badly damaged by Japanese fighters during a bombing raid on boats near Bougainville, the bomber was limping back towards Henderson Field when the crew realised it could not make a safe landing. With few options left, the pilot attempted a controlled ditching close to shore, but the aircraft struck the water and sank.
Two of the men on board – pilot 1st Lt Charles E Norton and gunner Sgt Bruce W Osborne – were recorded as having made it to shore, but both died either through illness, drowning or execution. The fate of the other seven crew members is unknown; having been reported Missing In Action, they were officially declared dead at the war’s conclusion.
While exactly what happened to each crew member remains unclear, what is certain is that the B-17E wreck provides another silent witness to the intensity of the air war over the Solomons.
And an incredibly well-preserved witness at that. In January 1944, US Navy Seabees located the bomber and salvaged sections of the rear fuselage and tail, along with equipment and personal items. The forward section, wings and cockpit area were left in place and gradually settled into the seabed, where over several decades coral growth has transformed it into a living reef.
The wreck lies between 10–20 metres, making it accessible to recreational divers and even confident snorkellers in good conditions. Despite its age, the aircraft is still instantly recognisable. Divers can see the wings, engine remnants, cockpit framework and the distinctive top turret, now draped in corals and sponges.
One detail that adds clarity to the real-life story behind the wreck is that the Goodyear branding on the aircraft’s tyres remains legible. More than eight decades on, the name still stands out clearly on the rubber – a surprisingly modern reminder of the bomber’s origins and a testament to just how well preserved this remarkable wreck really is.
Divers are accompanied by schools of reef fish that hover inside the fuselage, while lionfish, scorpionfish and the occasional turtle patrol the area.
Visibility can vary, especially after heavy rain when runoff clouds the bay. Fine silt means careful finning is essential, and the corroded structure demands respect – this is a look-but-don’t-touch wreck. Good buoyancy control and a torch help reveal details without disturbing the site.
After all, this is not just a wreck dive. It is an intimate encounter with history and a monument to the fallen in one of the Pacific’s most significant WWII landscapes.
Contact us to find out more about this amazing dive site and the other incredible wrecks to be explored in the Solomon Islands. Email us on [email protected] with any questions or to arrange your diving visit