Because of the destruction brought on by the Second World War, Malta’s seas are now home to a plethora of plane wrecks dating back almost an entire century.

One of such wrecks is none other than the B24 Liberator aircraft, located just off the southern coast of Malta.

In its prime, the B24 was an American heavy bomber, which, throughout the Second World War, saw extensive use in all branches of the American Armed Forces and even some of the Allied Forces.

Early in 1943, Reggio Calabria was subjected to a series of aerial raids by the Allied forces, which eventually culminated in the 6th May bombings.

Credit: Heritage Malta

That day saw two waves of B24s, totalling 50 aircrafts, drop 110 tonnes of bombs over the Italian city, mainly targeting its harbour. One of the aircrafts developed engine trouble over the city and, after jettisoning its bomb load, was flown back to Malta.

Failed landing attempts at Luqa forced the 10-member crew to ditch the plane at sea. Its wheels were lowered when it hit the surface, flipping it upside down. After floating for a few minutes, the plane sank tail-section first.

One member of the crew remains unaccounted for to this day, although the other nine survived and were rescued by the Royal Air Force.

Credit: Heritage Malta

It just so happens that this historic underwater wreck has become a catchment area for ghost gear, thus damaging historic remains and threatening marine life and visiting divers.

In order to preserve the wreck’s integrity, the Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) within Heritage Malta, in its continuing collaboration with the local ATLAM dive club, removed the netting caught on the B24 wreck.

Five divers from Heritage Malta and the ATLAM club participated in the dive to clear the site of ghost hear.

The wreck site was discovered back in 2015 through a remote sensing survey at a depth of 56 metres. The aircraft is well-preserved and is nowadays a protected site open for divers and managed by the UCHU.