Overview
- Pacific Wrecks founder Justin Taylan located the P-38 wreck in Madang Province after archival research and local interviews, leading to a targeted recovery effort that began in 2024.
- The Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center funded the excavation and negotiated a long-term loan to bring the surviving wingtip to its collection for study and exhibition.
- Officials held a transfer ceremony in Port Moresby before the wingtip was loaded onto a Wisconsin Air National Guard KC-135 and transported to Wisconsin where it arrived in museum custody.
- Papua New Guinea’s National Museum, local landowners, Pacific Wrecks, the U.S. Embassy and Wisconsin Guard leaders all worked together to secure permissions, preserve provenance and oversee the artifact’s movement.
- The museum plans to photograph, catalog and put the wingtip on display imminently to honor Richard Bong’s legacy, educate visitors about the Pacific War, and reinforce ongoing U.S.–PNG military and cultural ties.