A team from Texas A&M University is helping in an effort to recover and preserve a World War II aircraft that has been submerged in the Pacific Ocean for more than 80 years.

Texas A&M University’s Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation (CMAC) will join the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, the Republic of the Marshall Islands Cultural and Historic Preservation Office, Naval History and Heritage Command, and Jaluit Atoll local government officials and traditional leaders in the project to recover the Douglas TBD-1 Devastator torpedo bomber from its resting place near Jaluit Atoll.

The team will clean, conserve and stabilize the aircraft, which will ultimately go on display  in “as-is” condition at the National Museum of the United States Navy, currently under development.

Archaeologists and conservation specialists at Texas A&M’s CMAC have been documenting and studying the aircraft since 2006. The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to preserving aviation and maritime artifacts, has conducted seven expeditions to Jaluit Atoll since 2003.

The Douglas TBD-1 Devastator is among the most significant aircraft in U.S. naval aviation history. As the Navy’s first all-metal, low-wing, semi-monocoque plane, it was critical during the opening months of the Pacific campaign, including the Battles of the Coral Sea and Midway. Of the 129 TBD-1 aircraft built, none are preserved in museums or private collections; all known examples rest on the ocean floor.