The History of Diving Museum will celebrate Black History Month with tales of the Tuskegee Airmen for its “Immerse Yourself!” presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Beginning at 7 p.m., the free virtual lecture welcomes Erik Denson, board member and lead instructor for the Diving With a Purpose (DWP) maritime archaeology program. Denson will discuss one of DWP’s noteworthy expeditions, the documentation and history of a lost Tuskegee Airman P-39 fighter aircraft.
During the middle years of World War II, Michigan was home to several African American air combat units, including many graduates of the Tuskegee pilot training program. Through this program, military aviators were taught to fly and maintain combat aircraft and help win the war.
In recent years, the wreckage of two Tuskegee Airmen planes have been discovered. One of the wrecks is located in Lake Huron, and the other in the St. Claire River. On April 11, 2014, 70 years to the day of the training accident, the Lake Huron site was discovered. In collaboration with NOAA, a 2015 archaeological mission concentrated on the Lake Huron aircraft flown by 2nd Lt. Frank H. Moody.
Denson has been involved with DWP since its inception and is a co-founder and president of DIVERSE Orlando, a National Association of Black Scuba Divers (NABS) affiliate. A certified diver since 1992, he’s a PADI divemaster as well as a member of the NABS Hall of Fame. He holds Nautical Archaeology Society (NAS) certificates and a PADI specialty in underwater archaeology. He is a NABS Foundation scientific diver and a volunteer diver for NOAA and the National Park Service (NPS). Over the last 15 years, Denson has assisted in training over 300 divers to become advocates for underwater archaeologists.
The museum and Denson will be co-hosting the presentation live through a private Zoom meeting. If you are interested in joining, email Emily Kovacs, community outreach coordinator, at programs@divingmuseum.org or call the Museum at 305-664-9737 to receive the Zoom meeting number and password. “Spaces” will be limited, so you must register to reserve your spot. The museum will stop taking reservations at noon on Feb. 17 or when there are 100 registered participants. The session will be recorded and posted on the HDM YouTube page.
