Comprising more than a dozen divers and researchers, the effort to locate Liberator 589D is part of a broader RCGS-flagged project, the Great Island Expedition, which takes divers to various locations across Newfoundland to learn more about the island’s history and share stories of exploration. 

Aboard the plane in 1943 were Wing Commander J.M. Young, who flew the aircraft, Squadron Leader John G. MacKenzie, Flying Officer V.E. Bill and Leading Aircraftman G. Ward. After an engine failed on takeoff, the aircraft made a slow turn and barrel rolled into Gander Lake, taking the four airmen to their deaths. The body of Squadron Leader MacKenzie was recovered in 1943, but the remaining three bodies stayed inside the aircraft as it slipped deeper into the lake.

Upon locating the aircraft, Heinerth says she experienced a mix of emotions. “It was exciting but also sobering,” she says. “It’s a war grave and so it’s sobering when you’re in a place like that and you realize this is where a very tragic accident occurred. We tried to be completely respectful and give the families, the descendants some comfort in knowing that the wreck is finally found.”

All images and video of the aircraft will be donated to the Shipwreck Preservation Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and to the Virtual Museum of Canada with the hope that deeper, meaningful outreach and education about the war era can occur.

“I think it’s really important to not forget these stories, for people to really dwell on the fact of what happened in those days,” says Heinerth, adding she has explored Second World War-era wrecks across the world. “The discoveries can shed some light on Canadian culture and history.”