On Monday, Aug. 12, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced that, in partnership with Project Recover, Instituto Scripps de Oceanografía at UC San Diego, and other experts in the field, they accounted for Lt. Jay R. Manown Jr. (above), of Kingwood, WVa., who was a TBM-1c Avenger pilot who was missing in action until now. He was a graduate of West Virginia University.

The Avenger took off from the USS Enterprise aircraft carrier on Sept. 10, 1944. The three-man crew was part of Torpedo Squadron 20 (VT-20), which was on a bombing mission targeting antiaircraft positions and transport ships on and near Malakal Harbor in the island nation of Palau. It was last seen spinning violently at 5,000 feet and then crashing into the water of Malakal Harbor.

Project Recover located the Grumman TBM-1c Avenger in the waters of Palau in 2015 during the third year in partnership with Instituto Scripps de Oceanografía at UC San Diego, and the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, University of Delaware. Multiple underwater recovery missions were executed on this crash site that resulted in the recovery and identification of Anthony Di Petta and Wilbur Mitts, who were repatriated back to their families and memorialized in ceremonies in New Jersey and California in 2023.

In 2023, DPAA asked Project Recover to return to the crash site again to conduct recovery efforts with the hope of finding Manown. Despite challenges throughout the mission, including weather delays, illness, equipment failure, lost luggage, and more, the Project Recover and Legion Undersea Services successfully executed the mission and recovered possible human remains.

Thanks to public and private support, Project Recover’s mission to locate America’s missing in action is possible. Visit projectrecover.org to find out how you can help ensure that this invaluable work to bring closure to our fallen heroes and their families can continue.