Paddy Finucane search?

Hats off and I really hope he comes back with something even if not this Spit

This is true to say about wrecks that have been exposed for some time but there are a number of wrecks that are still buried in sand and silt, an example of this came to the museum last year, a complete He111 undercarriage leg which still had paint and anodising on the alloy parts and not a barnacle in sight. But finding them under the sand is something else.

After all this time i would imagine all that would be left of an aircraft like the Spitfire would be an engine block- aluminium does not take too kindly to salt water and strong underwater currents!.

As much as I feel it will be fruitless, it does make me wonder just how many plane wrecks (or parts) they make uncover in the search. Maybe tbey’ll find a crate of 20+ Spitfires buried in the sand that were dumped off a ship on the way to Burma 🙂

I just spoke to him via e-mail. He’s under no illusions, but he’s trying anyway. Hats off to him.

…well, perhaps the Crank and a couple of Undercarriage parts

After all this time i would imagine all that would be left of an aircraft like the Spitfire would be an engine block- aluminium does not take too kindly to salt water and strong underwater currents!.

I guess while looking they are bound to find other sites of interest, like a Stirling or a Whitley perhaps.

Also the channel is full of Me109s, 110s, He111s Dorniers, Junkers, Welingtons, Lancasters Halifax, Mustangs, and half a hundred other types not to mention ship wrecks, mines , ordnance Im making my own head spin here!
Good luck to them.

I also would have thought that a huge amount of optimism would be needed to find anything the size
of a Spitfire (or parts of a Spitfire) in the English channel. A very difficult environment to work in at the
best of times. Even if an accurate location were known.

Wouldn’t any wreck be classed as a war grave ?

Carroll O’Donaghue contacted me a few months ago about this.

He is serious in respect of his intent to search, although I stressed this wasn’t a search for a needle in a haystack but a search for a grain of sand in a very big sea. Additionally, even if an approximate area of his loss was known (and I’m not sure that it is with any degree of accuracy) the chances of locating anything that might be proven to be Paddy’s Spitfire is slim indeed. Over optimism and unrealistic objectives aside, there seemed little chance of managing the expectations, hopes and aspirations of the search team.

Just ordered the book…