In 1998, a fisherman named Jean-Claude Bianco found, east of Riou Island, south of Marseille, a silver identity bracelet bearing the names of Saint-Exupéry and his wife Consuelo[10] and his publishers, Reynal & Hitchcock, hooked to a piece of fabric, presumably from his flight suit.
In 2000, a diver named Luc Vanrell found a P-38 Lightning crashed in the seabed off the coast of Marseille, near where the bracelet was found. The remains of the aircraft were recovered in October 2003.[10] On 7 April 2004, investigators from the French Underwater Archaeological Department confirmed that the plane was, indeed, Saint-Exupéry's F-5B reconnaissance variant. No marks or holes attributable to gunfire were found, however this was not considered significant as only a small portion of the aircraft was recovered.[11] In June 2004, the fragments were given to the Museum of Air and Space in Le Bourget.[12]
The location of the crash site and the bracelet are less than 80 km by sea from where the unidentified French soldier was found in Carqueiranne, and it remains plausible, but has not been confirmed, that the body was carried there by ocean currents after the crash over the course of several days.
- Saint-Exupéry is commemorated by a plaque in the Parisian Panthéon.
- Until the euro was introduced in 2002, his image and his drawing of the Little Prince appeared on France's 50-franc note.
- In 2000, the Lyon Satolas Airport was renamed Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport in his honour.
- There is a monument for him in Tarfaya, Morocco.
- Asteroid 2578 Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry[1] (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃twan də sɛ̃tɛɡzypeˈʁi]) (29 June 1900—31 July 1944) was a French writer and aviator. He is best remembered for his novella The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince), and for his books about aviation adventures, including Night Flight and Wind, Sand and Stars.
He was a successful commercial pilot before World War II, joining the Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) on the outbreak of war, flying reconnaissance missions until the armistice with Germany. Following a spell of writing in the United States, he joined the Free French Forces. He disappeared on a reconnaissance flight over the Mediterranean in July 1944.
