In 1983, Duke Energy helped recover a World War II B-25 bomber from the bottom of Lake Greenwood, S.C.
The bomber crashed during a training exercise – on D-Day, June 6, 1944 – and sat forgotten for nearly 40 years before it was pulled from the water in an operation led by the Navy Reserve. More than 1,500 people were on hand as the plane was raised from the lake, about 60 miles southeast of Greenville. During the war, there were a number of training bases in South Carolina.
Today, the twin-engine bomber, nicknamed “Skunkie,” is one of seven B-25C Mitchells in existence. The plane is being restored by its owner, the S.C. Historic Aviation Foundation, in a hangar at Owens Airport in Columbia, S.C.