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Search for the "B-29" crashed in Tokyo Bay!

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Tamaki Ura
Pledged: 1,176,401 JPY
Target Amount: 1,000,000 JPY
Funded
117 %
Supporters
156
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Reached the funding target!

18日19時ごろに目標を達成しました。ご支援くださいました皆様有り難うございます。本日の調査を終え、明日の作戦会議にて報告し、仲間で喜び合いました。明日は朝5時に出航して調査をおこないます。ニコニコ生放送で実況中継いたしますので、よろしくご覧ください。
また、27日17時にてクラウドファンディングを終了しました。155名の方々からご支援をいただきました。有り難うございます。
引き続き私たちの活動にご注目ください。
本当に有り難うございました。

Comment from academist staff
A Pioneering Method for Undersea Research Reveals an Aircraft Buried in the Mud

周藤瞳美

Dr. Tamaki Ura, the president of the Society La Plongée for Deep Sea Engineering has been involved in the promotion and diffusion of underwater technology by conducting research on sunken ships lying on the sea floor, including the successful completion of the "I-58 and Ro-50 Identification Project" and the "Taiyo Maru Search Project". He is going to investigate the B-29, a large bomber, using the advanced unmanned vessel and acoustic equipment. The investigation will be broadcast live on Nico Nico Live. He says, "I want to expose the younger generation to the beautiful underwater technology, and at the same time make them think about war and peace," so please support his challenge!

The wheel of the "B-29" found off Kisarazu

On 30 November, 2020, an object weighing about one ton, believed to be the front wheel of an aircraft, was salvaged by a local fishing boat in Tokyo Bay off Kisarazu, Chiba Prefecture. Based on the shape of the parts, it is believed to be the wheel from a B-29, a large bomber of the U.S. military.

During the Pacific War, many U.S. military planes from air raids on the mainland crashed in the Kanto area, and some of them fell in Tokyo Bay. Many of those that sank to the bottom of the sea were left untouched, unless they became obstacles to ship navigation or entangled fishing gear. If this wheel is from a B-29, then it has been lying on the sea floor for 75 years. What is the current state of the aircraft body? It may be buried in the mud of Tokyo Bay, but at present, it remains unknown.

The Society La Plongée for Deep Sea Engineering, would like to use the most advanced underwater technology to find the main body of the B-29 lying on the sea floor of Tokyo Bay. By revealing the location and current status of the B-29, and disclosing the survey process in real time, we hope to promote the spread of underwater survey technology and underwater activities, and to commemorate those who died along with the aircraft.
How to search for what is in the mud?

How to search for what lies in the mud

The biggest hurdle in this survey is that most parts of the aircraft are buried in the mud. Therefore, in addition to the multi-beam sonar (MBES), which acoustically measures the seafloor topography in three dimensions, we will use the sub-bottom profiler (SBP), which transmits acoustic waves directly below the seafloor below, to investigate into the mud.

The flow of the survey is as follows. First, we will measure the topography of the seafloor around the presumed sinking location using MBES to check for unconformities (protrusions in the seafloor). MBES measurement equipment will be installed on both an unmanned surface vessel (USV) and a fishing boat. The USV will be remotely controlled or automatically operated. The SBP is also attached to the fishing boat to search for artifacts in the mud.

Then, from the data measured by the MBES and the SBP, we will narrow down the candidates for the crashed aircraft, and deploy a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) from the fishing boat to confirm and photograph what the unconformities are. By combining these images, we will be able to get a complete picture of what has fallen to the sea floor. The position of the ROV is measured in real time by a detection device attached to the fishing boat.

One of the key points of this survey is to use the USV to find the target in a short period of time; the efficiency of the survey will be doubled if the USV and the fishing boat share the survey area. This method of using USVs to increase search efficiency is a pioneering one for future seafloor surveys not only scientific but also industrial.

Request for Research Fund Support

The survey will be conducted mainly by the Society La Plongée for Deep Sea Engineering, and all members will be volunteers. We are challenging crowdfunding to cover the cost of the fishing boat.

By investigating the B-29, which has a profound history, and reporting on it, we hope to help many people, including young people, think about war and peace, and advanced technology. We will also use the experience gained from this research for our next project to search for the U.S. Navy's Albacore submarine, which has been postponed due to the Covid-19. We would appreciate your support.

Profile

Tamaki Ura

My name is Tamaki Ura. I have been developing autonomous underwater robots for 35 years and advancing underwater technology. In recent years, I have been working on the survey of sunken ships, which has resulted in the successfully completion of the following three surveys : 24 submarines off the Goto Islands, three submarines in Wakasa Bay, and the Taiyo Maru in the East China Sea. I would like to use the current technology in the most appropriate way, according to the situation, to fulfill our objectives. I look forward to working with you.

Project timeline

Date Plans
May 16, 2021 Enter Ushigome Port. Installed equipment and USV on a fishing boat.
May 17, 2021 -
May 18, 2021 the USV will be transported to the survey area and deployed on the water, where it will be navigated automatically (including remote control) to conduct the MBES survey. At the same time, MBES and SBP surveys will be conducted by the fishing boat.
May 19, 2021 Same as May 18 in the morning. In the afternoon, we will set the target and deploy the ROV from the fishing boat. We will return to the port after the survey and de-rigged.
May 20, 2021 Reserve Day
スケジュール変更: 海況が悪いため、調査を1日延期いたします。(2021年5月17日編集)

Pledge Rewards

You may provide additional support in addition to the amount of your return. No sales tax will be charged on the additional support.
1,100 JPY tax included
Featured : Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

We will send you a "Survey Report (electronic version)" that summarizes the results of this survey.

return details

Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

31 supporters are supporting with this reward. (No quantity limit)

5,500 JPY tax included
Featured : Detailed survey report (PDF)

We will send you a "Detailed survey report (electronic version)" that summarizes the results of this survey.

return details

Detailed survey report (PDF) / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

81 supporters are supporting with this reward. (No quantity limit)

11,000 JPY tax included
Featured : Online special debriefing session

We will compile the results of the survey as soon as possible after the survey is completed and hold a lecture to report the results. All are welcome to attend. Once the COVID-19 infection situation is healed, the lecture will be held in Tokyo, and online participation will be possible.

return details

Online special debriefing session / Detailed survey report (PDF) / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

41 supporters are supporting with this reward. (No quantity limit)

33,000 JPY tax included
Featured : You can also hear behind-the-scenes stories about underwater survey technology! Online drinking session

Let's have a drink and have a lot of fun while talking about the story behind the survey, the story about B-29, future prospects, your requests, etc. We will hold several drinking sessions with about 10 participants per session. Bring your own lubricants (beverages) and additives (knobs).

return details

You can also hear behind-the-scenes stories about underwater survey technology! Online drinking session / Online special debriefing session / Detailed survey report (PDF) / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

0 supporters are supporting with this reward. (No quantity limit)

55,000 JPY tax included
Featured : Digest version of the survey video

We will send you a digest video of the survey, including underwater image.

return details

Digest version of the survey video / You can also hear behind-the-scenes stories about underwater survey technology! Online drinking session / Online special debriefing session / Detailed survey report (PDF) / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

1 supporters are supporting with this reward. (No quantity limit)

110,000 JPY tax included
Featured : Detailed version of the survey video

We will send you the detailed video of the survey results.

return details

Detailed version of the survey video / Digest version of the survey video / You can also hear behind-the-scenes stories about underwater survey technology! Online drinking session / Online special debriefing session / Detailed survey report (PDF) / Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

2 supporters are supporting with this reward. (No quantity limit)

Supporters will be charged the funding amount only if the project reaches the funding goal (JPY 1,000,000) before 17:00 on May 27, 2021 (JST: GMT+9).
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1,100 JPY(tax included)

Summary of survey results (PDF) / Thank you message

31 supporters back
(No quantity limit)

5,500 JPY(tax included)

Detailed survey report (PDF) and others

81 supporters back
(No quantity limit)

11,000 JPY(tax included)

Online special debriefing session and others

41 supporters back
(No quantity limit)

33,000 JPY(tax included)

You can also hear behind-the-scenes stories about underwater survey technology! Online drinking session and others

0 supporters back
(No quantity limit)

55,000 JPY(tax included)

Digest version of the survey video and others

1 supporters back
(No quantity limit)

110,000 JPY(tax included)

Detailed version of the survey video and others

2 supporters back
(No quantity limit)

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