Several organisations are aware of the existence of the Spitfire because I told them. They are all very interested but, so far, nobody has actually done anything about it. What sort of a state it is in after about 36,000 tides I dread to think. However, the wings seem to be buried in sand and mud so may be better preserved than one might imagine.
About ten years ago, I was working in Liverpool Tower when a locally-based Chipmunk pilot requested to orbit the 09 final approach over the river. Since it was quiet, permission was readily granted. Curious, I asked if he was looking for the Hurricane wreck. He confirmed this and said he was also looking for any sign of the Heston Phoenix lost in the river around 1940. He saw nothing and I suggested that it would be more fruitful to look at the Spitfire site on the other side of the river. He confirmed that there was something in the sand in the right place but it looked like a boat.
For Nosediver, if you are not familiar, the Mersey is nearly three miles wide at this point! It certainly has the makings of an exciting recovery if we can first ascertain what is actually there.
At this point, I must confess that I wrote the FlyPast article about wrecks in the Mersey. (About five years ago, maybe, I haven’t got the copy to hand.)
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