Vis B-24 Liberator Wreck

Vis · Split-Dalmatia County · Croatia

The B-24 Liberator wreck south of Vis Island is one of the most extraordinary aircraft dives in the Mediterranean. Resting on a clean white sandy bottom at 42 metres, this American heavy bomber sits remarkably intact, both wings spread wide, engines still attached, and the fuselage largely complete. It is a time capsule from 1944, preserved by cold Adriatic waters and the remoteness of Croatia's most distant inhabited island. During the Allied bombing campaign against Axis oil refineries in Ploesti, Romania, hundreds of B-24 Liberators flew from bases in southern Italy across the Adriatic. This aircraft sustained anti-aircraft damage on the return flight and made an emergency water landing near Vis, then held by Yugoslav partisans. The crew survived and were rescued. Descending the shot line in the extraordinary clarity that defines Vis diving, the bomber materialises on the seabed like a ghost from history. Visibility regularly exceeds 30 metres, and the dark outline of the aircraft is visible from considerable distance. The wingspan stretches over 33 metres, and both Wright Cyclone engines remain mounted on the port wing, propeller blades bent from impact but otherwise intact. I circled the aircraft slowly at 40 metres, conscious of limited bottom time. Dusky groupers have taken up residence beneath the wings, hovering with the confidence of fish that rarely encounter divers. Conger eels peer from gaps in the fuselage. The entire structure is draped in hydroids and small gorgonian fans, and nudibranchs are scattered across the aluminium surfaces. The cockpit section is partially collapsed but recognisable, with instrument panel fragments still visible. Croatian authorities have designated this a protected cultural heritage site, and dive operators must maintain distance from the structure. No penetration or contact is permitted. The ascent requires careful decompression planning, and the safety stop at five metres offers a different pleasure. The shallow waters around Vis teem with damselfish, and the visibility from above makes the bomber visible as a shadow on the seafloor far below. Vis has emerged as Croatia's most sophisticated diving destination precisely because sites like this remain carefully managed.