Recovering B-17F 41-24364: Turret Raised From 90m Depth

B-17F 41-24364 left behind one of the most remarkable aircraft recovery stories beneath Italy’s Lake Bolsena. Nearly seventy years after the bomber’s crew bailed out during a damaged return flight on January 15, 1944, divers descended to roughly 90 meters and recovered a Sperry ball turret carrying the painted words “Ileen Lois.” The artifact was linked to B-17F 41-24364 through crew records, mission history, and its association with ball-turret gunner Ralph Truesdale. During the wartime mission, flak damaged the bomber’s engines, forced the crew to jettison weight, and eventually led pilot William Pederson to order all ten men to bail out. All survived, although five became prisoners of war and five evaded capture. In 2013, specialist divers and fire-service personnel carried out the wreckage recovery. Lifting bags were secured to the turret, allowing the heavy artifact to rise from deep water before additional hoist equipment brought it ashore. The recovery transformed an isolated piece of submerged wreckage into a documented historical artifact. But one mystery surrounding B-17F 41-24364 remains unresolved. Some accounts place the complete bomber in Lake Bolsena, while other records indicate a crash near Chiusi. The recovered turret strongly connects the lake artifact to B-17F 41-24364, but it does not conclusively establish the final location of the entire aircraft. Today, the recovered turret preserves a rare connection between aircraft recovery, wartime archaeology, deep-water diving, and the ten-man crew who survived the bomber’s final mission. Subscribe for more aviation recovery, rescue, and investigation documentaries.