Mysterious Wrecks in Corsica: Diving into the Heart of the New Fascinating Discoveries of the Island of Beauty

In recent months, many shipwrecks have been revealed in Corsican waters, some purely by chance, others thanks to the vigilance of enthusiasts relying on valuable clues. These recent discoveries offer divers the opportunity to explore, on their next trip to the Isle of Beauty, sites that are still untouched or whose histories are little known. Here’s an overview of the most remarkable wrecks to have recently emerged from Corsican depths.

The P-47 Thunderbolt: a unique vestige of World War II

The discovery of the P-47 at Cape Corse

In July 2020, Michel Astolfi, a fisherman in Macinaggio, accidentally discovered a wreck while retrieving his fishing net caught on metal, off the tip of Cape Corse. Back on shore, he shared his experience with Stéphane Ramazzotti, president of the club Capi Corsu Diving (Cape Corse Immersion). Quickly, a team set out to inspect the wreck and confirmed that it was indeed an overturned plane resting at about 30 meters deep, in perfect condition – a rarity in such discoveries.

Identification and exceptional condition of the wreck

After an initial exploration conducted by club members, a team composed of Pierre-Jean Micaelli, Alain Touzet, Laurent Ricquiers (Corsican Underwater Images), researcher Dominique Tadei and Tony Viacara began identification. Through image collection and archive analysis, they established that it was a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, a famous American fighter-bomber of World War II.

« It’s incredible to have this site just fifteen minutes away by boat, » said Tony Viacara, one of the first to photograph the wreck. Among the elements left intact are the canopy, seat, dashboard instruments, armament, and radio. A key detail guided the identification: red paint appears on the tail, a characteristic mark of the famous African-American squadron of the Tuskegee Airmen (100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group), nicknamed the “Red Tails.”