Lancaster ED470 will be recovered shortly

I apologise if my first entry may have been cause of confusion.
Dutch (local) newspapers are reporting the site has been researched. Parts of an engine, landinggear, armour plating, armament and other smaller pieces of debris have been found, but no remains of the crew.

From the nature of the crash, that is perhaps hardly surprising.

http://www.omroepgelderland.nl/web/nieuws-1/2040626/drukte-op-kijkdag-bergingslocatie-lancaster.htm#.UmTmMPr8LIU

Bundaberg ?

[QUOTE=Mark_pilkington;2047538]I think the issue arises when there’s a heading saying a Spitfire or Lancaster is “being recovered” creating images of a damaged wreck being brought up from the sea (Dornier D0-17, or from the jungles of New Guinea (Swamp Ghost), or escavated in a wooden box from a secret storage bunker (Bundaberg/Burma etc).

Mark,
Are there buried Spitfires in Bundaberg? I’d never heard that! But then again, it does start with “B”(ie Burma, Birmingham, etc….)

I apologise if my first entry may have been cause of confusion.
Dutch (local) newspapers are reporting the site has been researched. Parts of an engine, landinggear, armour plating, armament and other smaller pieces of debris have been found, but no remains of the crew.

Title amended..

Guys lets get it right the serial is ED470 belonged to 61 Squadron.

Now I’m an agnostic, but if there is actually any sort of “after-life” then Zelhem is where the late, great, W/O Henk Welting, RNAF, used to live. Henk probably did more to further the cause(s) of the “Unaccounted Airmen” from WW2 than most. The ‘recovery’ had better be done properly! There might just be a Dutch Warrant Officer looking down! And, as the whole world knows, Air Force Warrant Officers are a fearsome breed!!
Resmoroh

Who says it’s about the aircraft?

– Goals is to provide information to say once and for all if the aircraft that came down near Zelhem is indeed the missing Lancaster, and hopefully recover crew member remains.
– Costs 400K euros, will be paid by national and local authorities, a private fund and local sponsors.
– Recovery will probably be Autumn 2013, with surveys starting mid July.

PS: recoveries like these happen all the time in Holland. There is regrettably still a very large number of crew members unaccounted for. They are usually only recovered when the council has new plans for a road or developments, or (like here) when a private party steps in to further things along.

I think the issue arises when there’s a heading saying a Spitfire or Lancaster is “being recovered” creating images of a damaged wreck being brought up from the sea (Dornier D0-17, or from the jungles of New Guinea (Swamp Ghost), or escavated in a wooden box from a secret storage bunker (Bundaberg/Burma etc).

The word “recovery” of an aircraft wreck suggests there is a recognisable aircraft likely to be recovered and that then leads to expectations of display as is, restoration to static or even restoration to fly.

Of course what is really happening in most of these cases is that a wreck site is being investigated/escavated and the wreckage is being recovered, not an aircraft.

This is the world of aero or battlefield archaeology and it would seem appropriate to develop a less confusing term to describe the activity than simply “Lancaster LD470 will be recovered” to perhaps something more like the Crash site of Lancaster LD470 is being investigated and wreckage/remains recovered.

Its not yielding an aircraft but its yielding closure and that’s just as important.

regards

Mark Pilkington

I don’t know the background to this and maybe it’s me being a cynical old ****** but if this ac went in from a great height with a full bomb load and exploded on impact, I’m not sure there’s going to be much to recover. And as for remains of the crew…..?

Or is it me?

RB

Who says it’s about the aircraft?

From http://www.omroepgelderland.nl/web/nieuws-1/2024001/vliegtuigwrak-zelhem-wordt-geborgen.htm:

– Six crewmembers missing, families were told that the aircraft came down in the river Waal.
– Seventh bailed out.
– Goals is to provide information to say once and for all if the aircraft that came down near Zelhem is indeed the missing Lancaster, and hopefully recover crew member remains.
– Costs 400K euros, will be paid by national and local authorities, a private fund and local sponsors.
– Recovery will probably be Autumn 2013, with surveys starting mid July.
– An educational program is planned around the recovery for local schools to tell about their local history and the war effort.

From http://www.gelderlander.nl/regio/achterhoek/berging-bommenwerper-zelhem-dichterbij-1.3633354:
– Site has been visited recently by family members of the crew.
– MoD will be onsite for the recovery itself.

PS: recoveries like these happen all the time in Holland. There is regrettably still a very large number of crew members unaccounted for. They are usually only recovered when the council has new plans for a road or developments, or (like here) when a private party steps in to further things along.

I don’t know the background to this and maybe it’s me being a cynical old ****** but if this ac went in from a great height with a full bomb load and exploded on impact, I’m not sure there’s going to be much to recover. And as for remains of the crew…..?

Or is it me?

RB

The aircraft is reported to have crashed with all bombs on board. It exploded on impact.

What’s the condition of the aircraft, and the plans for it afterwards?