Search for the Samoan Clipper
Wide-area AUV sonar survey in the search for the Pan Am flying boat lost off Pago Pago, American Samoa, in 1938.
The Aircraft
On January 11, 1938, Pan American Airways' Sikorsky S-42B flying boat Samoan Clipper took off from Pago Pago harbor under the command of Captain Edwin Musick, one of the most celebrated pilots of his era. The flight was part of Pan Am's effort to open regular airmail service between Hawaii and New Zealand.
Shortly after departure the aircraft developed an oil leak. Musick turned back and began dumping fuel ahead of a landing, and the aircraft exploded. Musick and his six crew members were lost, and searchers found only an oil slick and scattered debris. The main wreckage has never been located.
The Search
The Air/Sea Heritage Foundation (ASHF) has led a long-running effort to find the Samoan Clipper, working with partners including the Ocean Exploration Trust and the National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.
In late 2023, ASHF teamed with Deep Sea Vision to deploy an AUV that, in ASHF's words, “sonar imaged nearly ten times more territory in ‘wide area mode.’” The survey revealed the area's complex underwater terrain but no definitive trace of the aircraft, and the search continues.
A Lasting Partnership
The work laid the foundation for a continuing collaboration. In 2026, Deep Sea Vision and ASHF located the wreck of Pan Am's Clipper Endeavor, lost off Puerto Rico in 1952 and found resting almost 2,000 feet deep.
