Through remarkable underwater photography, a British diver has helped crack a decades-old World War II mystery. By descending 230 feet into the Adriatic Sea, Steve Jones captured breathtaking images of a sunken US bomber, ultimately locating the remains of a heroic pilot who gave his life to save his crew.
The Fatal Mission Over Yugoslavia
On November 6, 1944, 25-year-old US Army Air Force Second Lt. Ernest Vienneau was piloting a B-17 on a bombing mission toward Maribor, Yugoslavia. Suddenly, the aircraft sustained heavy anti-aircraft fire.
Losing engine power, Vienneau managed a masterful emergency water landing near the Croatian island of Vis—a common ditching area for crippled planes. His skillful maneuvering allowed his crew to evacuate safely, but tragically, the plane took on water too quickly. It sank before the heroic pilot could be extracted.
For decades, his grieving parents received no specific details. Despite desperately writing to the military, they received only a vague notice that their son was “lost at sea.”
Uncovering a Sunken Time Capsule
The mystery finally began to unravel in September 2016.
Steve Jones, a 47-year-old underwater photographer from South Wales, teamed up with local dive operator Andi Marovic to explore the wreck. Deep in the Adriatic, they found the aircraft remarkably well-preserved. It looked almost as though it had simply parked on the seabed, with Vienneau’s remains still resting respectfully inside the cockpit.
“Jones described the exploration as a deeply solemn experience, noting that it struck a personal chord since his own grandfather served as an RAF bomber gunner during the same conflict.”
A Photograph That Changed Everything
Working alongside Croatian historian Daniiel Frka, the dive team successfully identified the aircraft’s tragic history. The real turning point, however, came when Jones entered a photo of the wreck into the 2017 Underwater Photographer of the Year contest.
Thanks to Frka’s meticulous research, Jones was able to include Vienneau’s name in the image’s caption. By pure coincidence, a friend of the Vienneau family spotted the distinct surname in the competition gallery and immediately alerted the pilot’s relatives.
Finally Finding Closure
This incredible string of events led the contest organizers to connect Jones with Robert Vienneau, the pilot’s 76-year-old nephew based in Boston.
Ernest Vienneau originally hailed from the paper mill town of Millinocket, Maine, where he grew up in a large family with ten surviving siblings. Now that his final resting place is finally known, his relatives have made a touching request: they asked the diving team to place flowers on the co-pilot’s seat during any future visits to the wreck.
The family has also erected a memorial headstone in a Millinocket cemetery, holding out hope that future recovery efforts might successfully bring his remains back home.
Reflecting on the incredible discovery, Robert Vienneau expressed profound gratitude. He noted that while the oldest living relatives were just infants when Ernest died, they are deeply moved to see their great-uncle’s ultimate sacrifice finally honored and remembered.
