Aircraft crashed in UK waters

pretty sure that’s the case, i spoke to chris last night, and thats what he told me, he’s the main man for rolls royce engines in italy, so pretty high up. i too find it hard to believe that they would dump expensive alloys such as nimonic! who knows 🙂

I would hardly think any company would dump hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of reclaimable metals into the ‘oggin.
Old RB211 engines from airliners were transported hundreds of miles for reclamation, I know this, for I used to do that for a living. But to dump engines purely to get shot of stock is beyond belief, sorry.

no these RB’s weren’t attached to anything apparently RR have a contract to resupply the MoD with new engines or something, so instead of servicing their older stock, they just get dumped, and they flew the lightnings into it? sounds a bit crazed!!!

Nashioo, think you’ll find these were attached to slightly unserviceable Tornados!!! Just off Cleethorpes is what they called “c” sea Flight cos of all they Lightnings they flew into it !

i had heard about these “sea dumps” dont they just dump serviceable aircraft off a barge or something? a relative of mine works for rolls royce engines and he was telling me about dumping of perfectly serviceable RB199’s into the sea??? surely this is madness?

Quite a few Lightnings at “RAF” Doggerbank….

You see, we always knew that the RAF should have let us have more carriers! 😀

Oh, there’s about a dozen Tornados off the north east coast too…….

Quite a few Lightnings at “RAF” Doggerbank….

Thanks for the info guys,

Really good depth of knowledge and some interesting posts.

We are a team of divers putting together expeditions to search for some of the wrecks with a view to including them in our documentary ‘missing in action’

Keep ’em coming

Steve

From your experience, you would probably be able to state immediately whether this was L3159 of 771 Sqn. which crashed on 22/10/43.

I have a list of Orkney crashes but haven’t checked it for Rocs lost at sea yet… 😮 So you may well be right.

It’s highly likely to be a target tug version though, so turret removed and winches etc. fitted.

A german bomber – either a Ju88 or He111 (sorry, I was 5 when I saw it…) used to be just at the bottom of the cliffs at Whitley Bay, Northumberland. At low tide its tail was exposed. I only ever saw it once, and so not sure whether it was recovered…

Oh, there’s about a dozen Tornados off the north east coast too…..

There are alledgedly a few WW2 aircraft around the Piers at Sunderland… you would need to find a diver to see if anything is still there..

Halifax off Maldon ish

Is this the one on Great Cobb Island?. A Tempsford based aircraft on an arms drop for the SOE. Site littered with grenades and sten guns. Express permission from the coastguard needed to enter site.

There is Amy Johnsons Airspeed Oxford in the Thames estuary. Don’t know if the wreck was recovered.

martin

HE111 Purfleet reach, we went down on it around 1977/78 complete at the time and nose pointing towards London so could have a full load.

B17 P109 Southend just north of shipping lane, also went on that one in about 78, Larry Russel, Ball Turret Gunner met him in 1978 when he came over.

Halifax off Maldon ish,

HE111 Harwich, went on the dig, Andy (TANGMERE) will be able to help on this one.

Hi

does anyone have any info, whether real or anecdotal about any aircraft which have crashed in UK lakes or coastal areas.
Thanks

Hunter GA11 crashed into the Solent on 1st November 1972 but did not stay there so I guess that may not interest you.

HERS A FEW MORE.

AIRCRAFT HALIFAX
Latitude: 50 46.30 N
Longitude: 00 14.00 W
Distance: 5.3 nm bearing 246T from BRIGHTON
3.1 nm bearing 171T from SHOREHAM
Tonnage:
Built: Sunk
Depth: 12 Height: 3
Dive details: 4-engined bomber, nothing found recently, widely scattered, see TRAWLER (WOODEN)
References: HR/33 013604570, US 64, DS 152

AIRCRAFT SPITFIRE
Latitude: 50 46.80 N
Longitude: 00 01.20 W
Distance: 3.6 nm bearing 116T from BRIGHTON
8.9 nm bearing 106T from SHOREHAM
Tonnage:
Built: Sunk
Depth: 15 Height: 3
Dive details: Single seater low-wing monoplane
References: HR/37 013604624, DS205

AIRCRAFT WELLINGTON
Latitude: 50 39.50 N
Longitude: 00 02.00 E
Distance: 10.4 nm bearing 149T from BRIGHTON
7.1 nm bearing 188T from NEWHAVEN
Tonnage:
Built: Sunk
Depth: 33 Height:
Dive details:
References: DS 229

As part of my research for my Skua/Roc book, I had some radio programmes copied from Orkney Library archive tapes. On one of these, there was an interview with a wreck diver who had apparently discovered a Blackburn Roc in quite good condition somewhere off the coast of Orkney. The location was kept secret to hide it from the souvenir hunters, but it was apparently quite accessible and there was talk of raising it. The radio interview was from 1987 and to my knowledge, nothing has happened since. I would be overjoyed to be proved wrong, however, and if anyone knows anything more about this discovery I’d be delighted to hear about it!

From your experience, you would probably be able to state immediately whether this was L3159 of 771 Sqn. which crashed on 22/10/43.

here it is
FLYING FORTRESS .. POSITION 50 46 19N 00 00 19W DEPTH 17 M
WINGS REMOVED BY NAVY AFTER FATAL ACCIDENT WITH DIVER ,AIR IS STILL IN ONE LANDING WHEEl.

LANCASTER FROM 50 SQN.
POSITION 50 49 00N 00 23 24E DEPTH 10M
CAME DOWN AFTER RETURNING FROM A NIGHT RAID OVER GERMANY ON OR AROUND 9TH OR 10TH JULY 1943.
HALF BURIED IN GRAVEL TWO ENGINES SALVAGED.

SPITFIRE POSITION 50 46 51N 00 01 16W
SITS 3M HIGH ON THE SEABED

In the book “sussex dives ” theres quite a few ww2 types listed with their exact locations off the sussex coast , Including if I remember right either a b 17 or Lanc that still has an inflated tyre sticking out of the shingle seabed unfortunatly my copy was pinched .

Orkney Roc

As part of my research for my Skua/Roc book, I had some radio programmes copied from Orkney Library archive tapes. On one of these, there was an interview with a wreck diver who had apparently discovered a Blackburn Roc in quite good condition somewhere off the coast of Orkney. The location was kept secret to hide it from the souvenir hunters, but it was apparently quite accessible and there was talk of raising it. The radio interview was from 1987 and to my knowledge, nothing has happened since. I would be overjoyed to be proved wrong, however, and if anyone knows anything more about this discovery I’d be delighted to hear about it!

One of the three Saunders Roe SR.A/1 ‘Squirt’ jet flying boats crashed in the Solent during testing and as far as I know was not recovered. Of course the possibility of locating it now considering the double tide phenomenon of the Solent would probably be out of the question.