When Borut Furtan, a well-known Slovenian underwater photographer, announced that Slovenian divers had found an intact American “Flying Fortress” of the Boeing B-17G type, the news caused a sensation in the diving community. It is the only intact aircraft from the Second World War discovered in these waters so far.

However, when it was revealed that the plane lay at a depth of 72 m, many divers were disappointed, as it is inaccessible to most recreational divers. Its story had long been known only from the tales of an old fisherman living in the village of Rukavac on the southern coast. He was a child in the summer of 1944 when the first heavy Allied bombers began landing at the wartime airfield on Vis. For the damaged four-engine aircraft that had encountered difficulties over occupied Europe — often due to German fighters and anti-aircraft artillery — landing at Vis was their only hope.

Many planes were so badly damaged that they could not land on the short runway. Their crews parachuted out, and the aircraft fell into the sea. The seabed off Vis remains rich with aircraft wreckage, and fishermen’s nets still snag on some of the remains. We set out to explore the history of this newly discovered Flying Fortress.

With the help of today’s internet resources, we contacted the American organization Heavy Bombers, which brings together aviation veterans and researches wartime history. Our discovery caused great excitement, and thanks to our detailed documentation of the aircraft on the seabed, the crew was soon identified. One of them — the gunner Merrle C. Sieling — shared the entire story of the Flying Fortress we had found.

The flight to Austria went smoothly at first, but Vienna was completely covered by clouds. The lead aircraft redirected the formation to the alternate target of Maribor, an important railway junction that was heavily defended.

As they approached, black puffs of anti-aircraft flak erupted in front of them. After dropping their bombs, a shell exploded beneath their aircraft. The hydraulic system was damaged — the bomb bay doors would no longer close, and the left landing gear was jammed. Engine #3 failed, and its propeller was feathered to reduce drag. Oil leaked from engine #2, which had to be shut down as well.

Co-pilot Ernest Vienneau was seriously injured by the blast. With only two functioning engines, the pilot struggled to maintain altitude and called Sieling to assist the co-pilot. Crossing the bomb bay on a narrow catwalk, Sieling reached the cockpit and freed the wounded Vienneau, but it was too late — Vienneau was fatally injured.

As they neared the runway at Vis, a red signal rocket fired into the air — the runway was occupied, and they had to circle. With only one engine remaining and the tailwheel down, the heavy bomber turned left — and the last engine quit. Silence filled the cockpit except for the rushing wind.

The pilot prepared the aircraft for a water landing. The ditching on the calm sea was surprisingly gentle. Once the plane stopped, Sieling opened the upper hatch of the radio room and climbed out, followed by the other crew members.

The right life raft had likely been damaged by shrapnel and could not be inflated, so the crew used the left raft to paddle away. The B-17 floated for about 20 minutes before sinking near the coast — taking the body of the co-pilot with it. Soon after, fishermen and a British patrol boat arrived to rescue the crew, bringing them ashore. A few days later, they were flown back to Amendola to continue wartime operations.

The steamer Brioni was both a passenger and cargo ship, built at the Cantiere Navale Triestino shipyard in Monfalcone. The ship was delivered to its owner, the shipping company Lloyd Austriaco from Trieste, in December 1909. It was equipped with a triple-expansion steam engine that powered a single propeller and could reach a speed of 12.5 knots. The vessel operated on routes to Dalmatia and Albania, carrying both passengers and cargo.

During the First World War, beginning in August 1914, the Brioni was requisitioned by the navy and placed in service as a transport ship. On the night of February 16, 1917, it ran aground on the small island of Galun near Krk. The stranded ship was not refloated until March 1, 1917, when the tug SMS Herkules managed to free it after all cargo had been unloaded. By April 1917, the vessel had returned to military service.

After the First World War, when the Lloyd Austriaco company became Italian, the Brioni remained in the Italian fleet for another six years. In 1925, it was sold to Com. Società di Navigazione a Vapore Puglia of Bari and continued operating along the Adriatic coast under their ownership.

Unfortunately, little is known about the ship’s later fate. During a voyage from Split to Vis, in poor visibility and due to a navigational error, the Brioni ran aground on February 2, 1930, near Cape Jezera in front of the small island of Ravnik, and sank shortly thereafter. According to available information, it was transporting tobacco and wine at the time of its sinking. It is not known whether there were any casualties in this shipwreck.

Not much is known about the cargo ship Vassilios T, except that it was built at the Nitta Shipyard in Osaka, Japan, for the American shipping company High Seas Transportation Inc. of New York and originally sailed under the name Eastern Temple.

In 1938, the vessel was sold to the Greek shipowner Eleftherios M. Tricoglo from the island of Andros. However, under its new ownership, the ship did not sail the seas for long.

On the night of March 19, 1939, while carrying a cargo of coal from Swansea to Venice, the Vassilios T met with disaster. Probably due to a navigational error and negligence, the ship ran aground on the outer part of Cape Stupišće and sank after some time, tipping onto its port side.

Some unverified reports suggest that the crew may have deliberately caused the shipwreck and the loss of its cargo so the owner could claim the high insurance value. However, this theory has never been proven.

On a dark and stormy night in June 1930, the residents of Komiža and the harbor master heard the sound of a ship’s siren. It was assumed that a steamer was in distress and needed help. Just as the harbor master prepared to wake the townspeople and rush to aid the unknown vessel, some fishermen arrived and reported what had happened.

Near the coast of the northwestern cape of Komiža Bay, off the small island of Mali Barjak, a ship had run aground and was sounding its siren for help. The news of the shipwreck spread quickly through Komiža, as it was clear the vessel required immediate assistance.

The harbor master swiftly gathered a team of experienced fishermen. They loaded rescue ropes and warm blankets onto a fishing boat and set out from Komiža, rowing with all their strength. The journey was extremely difficult due to the heavy seas and pounding waves.

As they approached Cape Barjak, the rescuers spotted the dark, motionless silhouette of a steamer, waves crashing violently against its hull. Only when they reached the lee of the larger island of Veli Barjak could they clearly see the scene: the ship had driven its bow hard onto the rocks of Mali Barjak. The crew had apparently overlooked the shallow island in the darkness and storm.

The lifeboat cautiously approached the grounded steamer and threw a rescue rope on board. After the crew secured the line, the fishermen rowed to the shore of Veli Barjak, tied off the rope, and pulled it tight to begin the salvage effort.

After the rescue operation, the fishermen learned the vessel was the steamer Teti, owned by the Italian company Compagnia Società Italiana Navigazione e Trasporti from Ravenna. The Teti had likely run aground due to navigational carelessness during the stormy night.

By then, the Teti was already an old ship with a long and varied career. Built in 1883 in the United States, she had changed hands six times and traveled many thousands of nautical miles during her 47 years of service. The rescued crew was safely returned to Italy, but the ship could not be salvaged. The storm had damaged her so badly that she soon slipped beneath the surface of the sea.