Engine piece?

[Martin X. Moleski, SJ]

Does this mean that there is a part number on the debris?

Yes. He provided this photo. Not much use.

That doesn't look like a part number at all.

It looks to me like something done in the field with a hammer and some punches and with no concern for aesthetics.

Tank #325.

[Jeff Christmas]

The shape, location, and details of the pylon on the mystery drop tank was just too close to the ones attributed to the Japanese Zeros/Zekes for them to be easily dismissed; however, every single image I have been able to find of the latter had the same annoying double row of rivets on the cylindrical section of the tank midway along the cord of the pylon pointed out by Bill Mangus.

I just came across this image that seems to show a Japanese drop tank with a similar design as that originally posted by Ric.  The double rivet row that had eliminated the other Zero drop tanks doesn't seem to be there in this particular version.

http://www.warbirdphotographs.com/Harada/H-Zero-DropTank-36.jpg



Jeff Christmas

[Bill Mangus]

That's pretty close to Ric's first picture.

A couple of things to look at though.  Jeff's latest picture has a seam line forward of the fairing that, although hard to see through the paint, might be a line of flat head, flush-mounted machine screws.  I don't see a similar line on the Hellcat tank.

I'm also looking at the curve of the fairing as it sweeps up to the point where the flange attaches to the belly of the aircraft.  In Ric's first picture that curve seems very pronounced, almost U-shaped, although less so in my Hellcat pictures.  (Wish I could rotate Ric's picture 45 degrees clockwise!).  The curve of the fairing on the Zero tank seems to be more flat.

Absent a side-by-side hands-on inspection I don't know we'll be able to determine which aircraft the tank came from.  They're too similar.  In the end though it doesn't really matter if it came from a Zero or a Hellcat.  We can definitively say it did not come from AE's Electra and that's what really matters.

A fun exercise though!

Got another project Ric?

[Ric Gillespie]

Got another project Ric?

You asked for it.  Stand by.

[Ric Gillespie]

Got another project Ric?

New topic in Earhart General Discussion - Artifact evaluation.