Jet wreckage found in Ayvalık expected to help diving tourism

Divers have found the wreckage of a Turkish fighter jet that crashed 51 years ago off the Aegean coast.

The F-84G Thunderjet, which was on a patrol mission in 1958, crashed near the town of Ayvalık on the northwestern Aegean coast, but the wreckage remained a mystery for 51 years until it was found Wednesday.

Three divers, including an Anatolia news agency correspondent, found the wreckage after a month of research with help from both an eyewitness, who was 12 years old at the time of the crash, and a sponge fisherman diving in the region.

An Anatolia news agency correspondent shot video footage of the wreckage lying at the bottom of the sea, 16 meters below the surface.

The cockpit of the plane and the pilot's seat were still almost intact, but wings and the fuselage were scattered around in small pieces, the video footage showed.

The wreckage of the jet, which was one of Turkey's first jets, will be opened for diving tourism, officials said.

Ferdi Yüksel, who owns a diving center in Ayvalık, started the search for the wreckage one month ago. “The wreckage we found consists of four parts,” Yüksel told the Anatolia news agency. “Three big parts that include the wing, the cockpit and the back of the plane and a fourth part consisted of some debris.”

Yüksel said the location of the wreckage could only be guessed, and they were happy to have spotted it. “Now we will try to promote this spot as a diving destination,” he added. “We invite all diving enthusiasts to Ayvalık.”

Another member of the team, diver Melih Denekli said the success was the result of teamwork. “We have found history that was underwater for 50 years,” he said. “This is a first for Turkey as the plane was not deliberately sunk.”

Yakup İçten, an Ayvalık local, still cannot forget the day he witnessed the crash at the age of 12. “I was playing with a friend near the shore,” he said. “Then, I saw three planes flying in the direction of Ayvalık. Twenty minutes later they came back, but one of them seemed to have trouble. A moment later, that plane hit the sea and exploded with a loud sound.”

İçten said he informed the fishermen in the area, and one of the sponge fishermen dived in the crash zone and found the pilot, Erol Fercan, dead.

Diving spot

Ayvalık is already one of Turkey’s most important diving spots in terms of its underwater flora and fauna. Its fame comes largely from the red coral found in the area.

“The red coral, believed to have taken its color from the mineral-rich mountains by the shores of the Red Sea, may spread in seas with warm climates,” said Kemal Çalışkan, a diving instructor and owner of a diving center. “It offers a habitat for many forms of sea life and increases Ayvalık’s tourism value.”

Last year, four diving centers hosted 5,000 divers in Ayvalık alone, Çalışkan noted, adding that the area was popular with visitors from Germany, Sweden, Holland and France.

In addition to the diverse flora and fauna, other factors that makes Ayvalık attractive to diving enthusiasts is the variety of diving spots. About 60 spots feature coral reefs and there is always a spot to dive in, even in bad weather conditions. Furthermore, according to Çalışkan, there are diving points and depths suitable for all divers’ levels and spots that could be used throughout the entire year.