The UK has a lot of lakes, lochs etc. There still must be possibilties to find intact or at least substantial airframes for recovery (look at the Loch Doon Spit, Loch Ness Wellington and soon to be recovered Sunderland). Any chance of finding a Defiant intact, or any other airframe? Same question for the US, are there still recoveries underway in Lake Michigan or other possible lake sites?
Cheers
Cees
By: Paddy R - 18th August 2008 at 18:41
Possible UK underwater wreck sites
There are a number of Catalinas in Lough Erne N Ireland. Some were scuttled after WW2 and are now in deep water under lots of silt.
There are also a couple of Sunderlands and at at least one Catalina which are war graves.
Paddy R
By: Whitley_Project - 18th August 2008 at 17:06
Yes Ross, but remember the Defiant had a higher proportion of magnesium in the airframe than contemporary RAF aircraft. Doesn’t bode well for longevity in the sea.
Different aircraft,
Seven were lost in the area, Dalcross and Nairn examples have no missing aircrew hence lack of one of the normal reasons for a licence to be refused.
Nairn example is the only one to have been found at the time, rated as complete enough to be salvaged and that salvage to have been abandoned due to subsequent weather conditions.
Major but …. is the deep water dredging operations in the area for the rig construction yard.
Regards
Ross
By: mike currill - 18th August 2008 at 15:58
Having ditched in shallow water which is subject to severe waves in winter and the fact that it went down in salt water doesn’t bode well for any hopes of there being much wprth recovering but here’s hoping I’m very wrong.
By: Mark12 - 18th August 2008 at 15:31
No Defiant in Loch Ness Jeepman.
Just a series of Troll postings from Steve Carmichael Timson using Mark James, Ali Johnston et al to post false rumours.
How about we all back up possible sites with facts to support them on this thread to stop myths self generating.
Regards
Ross
Do you mean there is no sunken Spitfire float plane in the Lake District? :rolleyes:
What was their motive – Trying to hook a ‘TV doco’ contract?
Mark
By: RAF Millom - 18th August 2008 at 14:10
Isn’t there an intact, inverted Botha in an estuary near Millom?
Don
Correct, plus others around the coast line off the airfield, a DUCK was used as the rescue boat and the track and ramp to the beach still survive. There are some plane wrecks marked on the charts that the inshore life boat people hold.
By: jeepman - 18th August 2008 at 13:43
No Defiant in Loch Ness Jeepman.
Just a series of Troll postings from Steve Carmichael Timson using Mark James, Ali Johnston et al to post false rumours.
How about we all back up possible sites with facts to support them on this thread to stop myths self generating.
Regards
Ross
Ross – wasn’t reflecting trolling from here – just reflecting on articles which were around at the time when the Wellington was first found in Loch Ness – some time before its recovery – Must have been in one of the first copies of FlyPast when Mike Twite was at the wheel
By: Mondariz - 18th August 2008 at 07:41
No Defiant in Loch Ness Jeepman.
Just a series of Troll postings from Steve Carmichael Timson using Mark James, Ali Johnston et al to post false rumours.
How about we all back up possible sites with facts to support them on this thread to stop myths self generating.
Regards
Ross
Sounds like a good idea.
Even if there could be undocumented wrecks in other lakes, bringing focus to the documented ones sounds like a good start.
By: Ross_McNeill - 17th August 2008 at 23:12
No Defiant in Loch Ness Jeepman.
Just a series of Troll postings from Steve Carmichael Timson using Mark James, Ali Johnston et al to post false rumours.
How about we all back up possible sites with facts to support them on this thread to stop myths self generating.
Regards
Ross
By: jeepman - 17th August 2008 at 23:05
wasn’t there talk about a Defiant in Loch Ness?
By: critter592 - 17th August 2008 at 23:00
Isn’t there an intact, inverted Botha in an estuary near Millom?
Don
By: wl745 - 17th August 2008 at 21:27
underwater wrecks
There is a walrus outside Slcombe,it had landed and subsequently sank.It had rescued a german pilot,they all returned to land safely!!
By: Ross_McNeill - 17th August 2008 at 20:13
Different aircraft,
Seven were lost in the area, Dalcross and Nairn examples have no missing aircrew hence lack of one of the normal reasons for a licence to be refused.
Nairn example is the only one to have been found at the time, rated as complete enough to be salvaged and that salvage to have been abandoned due to subsequent weather conditions.
Major but …. is the deep water dredging operations in the area for the rig construction yard.
Regards
Ross
By: Wyvernfan - 17th August 2008 at 20:07
I remember a few years back some discussion about a Dalcross Defiant, is this the same exaple?:confused:
By: scotavia - 17th August 2008 at 19:58
Nairn Defiant
Very shallow water subject to srtong waves in winter. I dont recall anything when I flew over but will take a closer look when its clear. See the layout here on my site..
http://www.scotaviaimages.co.uk/gallery/index.cgi?mode=search&searchstring=nairn
By: Ross_McNeill - 17th August 2008 at 18:33
Hi Cees,
Nothing concrete for the location of a Defiant still to be recovered but in my mind the front runner for more research is N1749.
There have been rumours off and on about divers having located a Defiant in the general area.
Any way just to generate a multitude of leads for armchair researchers:
c/n 239.
Delivered to 19 MU 30/09/40.
Transferred to 2 AGS 19/08/41.
Engine cut; ditched into the sea 75 yards off Nairn, Grampian.
(Source: The Defiant File, A Brew, ISBN 0 85130 226 2)
NAIRN.
About 10.30 in the morning on the 27th of January, 1943, it was reported that an aeroplane had crashed at sea. It could be seen indistinctly, some distance to the west of Nairn Harbour. Two men put off in a 10-feet rowing boat – the tide was low and only a small rowing boat could get out of harbour. A fresh westerly wind was blowing and the sea was smooth. The men searched but found nothing. The airmen reached land in their own rubber dinghy. – Rewards, £1 and 2s 6d. for use of boat.
(Source: RNLI Lists of Services 1939-46)
Salvage attempts abandoned. Four bouys had been moored off Nairn for gunnery practice.
The standby Seaplane Tender ST364 was ordered to proceed to a crashed aircraft off Nairn but recorded no results.
At 10:35 hrs the duty boat ST379 of No.7 a/s rescue unit was ordered to proceed to a position 50 yards off shore North of Nairn to search for the crew of a Defiant aircraft that had crashed into the sea. Whilst proceeding to the position given, ST379 was intercepted by the FV Palm which had picked up the crew and dinghy from the crashed aircraft. After transferring aircrew the ST379 returned to base at 11:22. The crew were fitted out with dry clothes and taken to RAF Kinloss.
Regards
Ross
By: Mondariz - 17th August 2008 at 16:42
Just of the top of my head, I seem to remember some lake Michigan wrecks. Unfortunatly they were USN aircraft and they don’t like people to recover them.
Besides that, you are right, there must be a good few wrecks resting in freshwater lakes, both in Europe and throughout the states.
The only answer is to search them. Didn’t the norwegians find a Halifax after hearing a local story and deciding to search for it?
I’ll find the link to the story above.
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August 17, 2008 at 4:35 pm