Pan Am Clipper Endeavor Wreck Found Off Puerto Rico After 74 Years

Overview

• An autonomous underwater vehicle recorded images on June 2, 2026 that identified the Clipper Endeavor about 8 kilometers off Puerto Rico at roughly 600 meters depth.
• The find concluded a multi‑year search led by researcher Russ Matthews and the Air/Sea Heritage Foundation that used Pan Am, U.S. Coast Guard and civil aeronautics archives to narrow a 34 square‑kilometre search area.
• High‑resolution imagery shows a largely intact fuselage with visible Pan Am markings and flight lettering, and the team captured more than 350,000 photographs for documentation.
• The Clipper Endeavor ditched on April 11, 1952 after engine failures; all 69 aboard survived the impact but chaotic evacuations and inaccessible flotation gear led to 52 deaths and many unrecovered bodies.
• Explorers released the images through Discovery’s Expedition Unknown, said they will not attempt recovery of human remains, and described the site as a protected maritime grave while noting the search methods could aid future deep‑sea investigations.