Dornier 17 off Kent Coast

[whiteman]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110408/lf_nm_life/us_britain_warplane

Just saw this on Yahoo and by the time i hit enter there will probably be 2 other 10pg thread's on it.

[Shifty]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110408/lf_nm_life/us_britain_warplane

Just saw this on Yahoo and by the time i hit enter there will probably be 2 other 10pg thread's on it.

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,310566.0.html


OOPs, I think I think oaktree has one as well. 

[mechanic]

dudes, I was totaly about to come and make a thread about this myself right now

A rare World War Two German bomber, shot down over the English Channel in 1940 and hidden for years by shifting sands at the bottom of the sea, is so well preserved a museum wants to raise it.

The Dornier 17 -- thought to be world's last known example -- was hit as it took part in the Battle of Britain.

It ditched in the sea just off the Kent coast in an area known as the Goodwin Sands.

The plane came to rest upside-down in 50 feet (15 metres) of water and has become partially visible from time to time as the sands retreated before being buried again.

Now a high-tech sonar survey undertaken by the Port of London Authority (PLA) has revealed the aircraft to be in a startling state of preservation.

Ian Thirsk, from the RAF Museum at Hendon in London, told the BBC he was "incredulous" when he first heard of its existence and potential preservation.

"This aircraft is a unique aeroplane and it's linked to an iconic event in British history, so its importance cannot be over-emphasised, nationally and internationally," he said.

"It's one of the most significant aeronautical finds of the century."

Known as "the flying pencil," the Dornier 17 was designed as a passenger plane in 1934 and was later converted for military use as a fast bomber, difficult to hit and theoretically able to outpace enemy fighter aircraft.

In all, some 1,700 were produced but they struggled in the war with a limited range and bomb load capability and many were scrapped afterwards.

Striking high-resolution images appear to show that the Goodwin Sands plane suffered only minor damage, to its forward cockpit and observation windows, on impact.

"The bomb bay doors were open, suggesting the crew jettisoned their cargo," said PLA spokesman Martin Garside.

Two of the crew members died on impact, while two others, including the pilot, were taken prisoner and survived the war.

"The fact that it was almost entirely made of aluminium and produced in one piece may have contributed to its preservation," Garside told Reuters.

The plane is still vulnerable to the area's notorious shifting sands and has become the target of recreational divers hoping to salvage souvenirs.

The RAF museum has launched an appeal to raise funds for the lifting operation

[oakranger]

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,310566.0.html


OOPs, I think I think oaktree has one as well. 

Yep, you beat me by 25 mins or so.  sorry.   

[Shifty]

No worries. It's not like it's my exclusive scoop. 

[oakranger]

No worries. It's not like it's my exclusive scoop. 

It is a great find for the WWII history buffs.

[Volron]

I really hope they are successful in raising and restoring her.  Ultimately, I hope they are able to restore her to flying condition, though that is not likely.  Can't fault me for hoping that.

[mechanic]

aircraft registration law is such that if they can salvage one genuine part from that Do17 they can rebuild the rest and it around that part and it will be registered as the same aircraft. At least I think I am right in saying that.

[oakranger]

I really hope they are successful in raising and restoring her.  Ultimately, I hope they are able to restore her to flying condition, though that is not likely.  Can't fault me for hoping that.

I assuming that there are no Do-17 around.  Being that, it would be great if somebody rebuild it and fly up in the air.  Birds like these deserved to be flown again.

[Muzzy]

Would there be any problems with either designation as a war grave, since two of the crew died on impact, or with the German government?

[Krupinski]

Nazi warplane... heh, all Germans were Nazis of course! 

[oakranger]

Nazi warplane... heh, all Germans were Nazis of course! 

Never heard of a nazi warplane.   

[Krupinski]

Never heard of a nazi warplane.   

Apparently they exist according to the article!

[oakranger]

Apparently they exist according to the article!

Yea, the editor need to know what Luftwaffe is.

[Guppy35]

Not a war grave.  The crew that died were buried in England.  Two KIA and two POW.   It is not going to be restored, but conserved as is.  To restore it, would basically mean losing most of the original airframe, which would kind of defeat the purpose of the recovery.

This was first reported back in September 2010.  The recent articles are due to their being better sonar pictures.