A and T Recovery
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aircraft salvage |
| Founded | 1988 |
| Founder | Allan Olson, Taras Lyssenko |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
| Products | Salvaged World War II-era United States Navy aircraft |
A and T Recovery is a U.S.-based aircraft salvage enterprise, established in 1988 by Allan Olson and Taras Lyssenko. The company focuses on identifying and retrieving lost World War II-era United States Navy aircraft, with a primary emphasis on wrecks located in Lake Michigan. Since its inception, A and T Recovery has successfully salvaged close to forty aircraft that were lost during naval carrier qualification exercises carried out from the now-defunct Naval Air Station Glenview near Chicago, Illinois. These training activities utilized two carriers, the and the , which played a critical role in certifying thousands of Navy aviators.
History
Founded in the late 1980s, A and T Recovery is engaged in the specialized field of historic aviation salvage. The aircraft recovered by the company are incorporated into the U.S. Navy’s collection and are curated by the National Naval Aviation Museum, operating under the Naval History and Heritage Command. This collaboration underscores the company’s commitment to preserving military aviation heritage through partnerships with governmental organizations.
Funding
Under 10 USC § 2572(b), Department of Defense Museums are authorized to trade outdated or condemned military assets for equipment, restoration services, or educational support. During the 1990s, this statute was utilized by the National Naval Aviation Museum’s Director to finance restoration initiatives and foster partnerships with private salvage firms. In recent years, funding for aircraft recovery efforts has predominantly come from private contributions administered by the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation, which manages contracts and oversees project implementation.
Lake Michigan projects
Among the notable U.S. Navy aircraft retrieved from Lake Michigan are the Douglas SBD Dauntless Bureau Number 2106—famous for its involvement at Pearl Harbor and Midway—the sole surviving Vought SB2U Vindicator Scout-Bomber, Grumman F6F Hellcat Bureau Number 25910, and a rare early-model “Bird Cage” Vought F4U-1 Corsair.
Several distinguished aircraft recovered by A and T Recovery are now exhibited in major museums:
- Vought F4U-1 Corsair 02465 at the National Naval Aviation Museum
- Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat 25910 at the National Naval Aviation Museum
- Vought SB2U-2 Vindicator 1383 at the National Naval Aviation Museum
- Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless 2106 (“Midway Madness”) at the National Naval Aviation Museum
- Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat 4039 at the National Naval Aviation Museum
- General Motors FM-2 Wildcat 55052 displayed at USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat 12320 located at Chicago O'Hare International Airport
- Douglas SBD-4 Dauntless 10575 shown at Chicago Midway Airport
- Additional Wildcats, Dauntless, Avengers, and Corsairs featured across institutions such as Cradle of Aviation Museum, Hickory Aviation Museum, Kalamazoo Aviation History Museum, National Museum of the Pacific War, National World War II Museum, San Diego Air and Space Museum, and USS Midway Museum.
In addition to aircraft salvage operations, A and T Recovery has also identified significant shipwrecks like that of the German Type UC III submarine UC-97. This World War I U-boat was surrendered to Allied forces after the conflict and transported to the United States. UC-97 toured various Great Lakes ports before being deliberately sunk in 1921 by the training vessel USS Wilmette. The company located its final resting site in 1992.
Thomas Hume Shipwreck
The Thomas Hume was a schooner operating on the Great Lakes, primarily used for transporting lumber. It set sail from Chicago on May 21, 1891, but never arrived at its intended port. The company eventually discovered the vessel nearly intact approximately fifteen miles off the Chicago shoreline.
Early Holocene Forest (Olson Site)
During a 1989 search for aircraft in southern Lake Michigan, the company uncovered preserved tree stumps resting on the lake bed. Radiocarbon analysis dated these remnants to a deciduous forest existing over 8,000 years ago, marking a rare and important archaeological and ecological discovery.
San Diego TBD Devastator
The company identified a scarce Douglas TBD Devastator aircraft (TBD-1 BuNo.0377) lost near the coast of San Diego. This find holds considerable historical significance and was acquired by the National Naval Aviation Museum.
San Diego SB2C Helldiver
In 2009, a recreational angler located a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver submerged in Lower Otay Reservoir; it had been ditched during World War II dive bombing training exercises. With assistance from San Diego Park Rangers, the firm recovered the plane in August 2010 and transferred it to the National Naval Aviation Museum for restoration and exhibition.
D. Blan Stewart
On October 31, 1988, D. Blan Stewart vanished while flying a Piper Archer over Lake Martin, Alabama. The FBI initiated an investigation suspecting he staged his disappearance to evade legal charges. In November 1990, A and T Recovery located the aircraft submerged at the bottom of the lake with Stewart’s remains inside, conclusively solving the case.
Film
In 2012, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library produced an episode of "Citizen Soldier" for WTTW Chicago, highlighting Lyssenko’s efforts in recovering lost World War II Navy aircraft from Lake Michigan.
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