In the summer of 2021 technical divers Brett Eldridge and Tyler Stalter were looking for the wreck of HS-4’s BuNo 152711, the SH-3D used in five early Apollo astronaut recoveries and later lost in a training accident in the IB operating area. Instead, they came upon remains of a SH-3A. Brett Eldridge posted about this discovery on his blog “This is a tale of hope, frustration, and persistence during our dives to find and identify a new helicopter wreck off Imperial Beach, California. The final identification was the result of a LOT of research and a somewhat obfuscated tail code that we uncovered on the second dive.” That persistence eventually paid off when the divers were able to locate and contact Don Sanborn. Then, after a lot more research, involving numerous folks, it was determined that the wreckage was that of BuNo 152114. This led to a story published in the San Diego Union Tribune and the LA Times. After even more research, Gus’s widow Janet Herrmann Dunne was located.

In short order, Janet, Don, Brett and Tyler, organized a wreath-laying voyage for 25 October 2021, out to the crash site aboard the dive boat Marissa operating out of the Mission Bay Sportscenter in San Diego. The group eventually expanded to include Don Sanborn and son Blake; Janet and husband Peter Dunne; Ken and Helen Burns; divers Brett Eldridge and Tyler Stalter; and 4 of Gus Herrmann’s relatives: his sisters Ann Joy and Clare, and two nieces: Elizabeth and Lynn. On his blog Brett Eldridge memorialized the wreath-laying ceremony.