Here we go again

This forum doesn’t like attempts at sarcasm, it won’t let me put in silly tags because it looks too much like html.

To me it looks like the salvage team used the propeller shafts as lifting points, when we were on the Time Team A-26 recovery 9 years ago one of the engines had to be lifted by a prop and we were all standing round taking bets on whether or not the prop would slide off the shaft and we’d be sending someone back into the hole to dig the engine out, fortunately it didn’t happen then. However it looks there was not enough structure left in the reduction gearing in this case to prevent the engine and prop parting company and then engine and airframe. Still, they’ll be back down for those and maybe it’s best they came off under water as the damage was probably less than if they’d come away as it broke the surface.

I guess in a couple of years we’ll all be able to see how much of what we can see from today is sealife formed around former aeroplane and how much is actual aeroplane still. Having met the guys at MBCC I have to say they’ll give it a really good go and best of luck to them.

Now that’s cleared up, off to North East Africa anyone?

It’s a little harder to identify an aircraft if you don’t give any indication as to where this was found. Other that that, yes Wellington, if the piece of boot is associated with it then it would rule out the later Warwick.

Before you or your friend go and start pulling more bits off the beach I ought to point you to here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/licensing-of-aviation-archaeology

False Alarm

GPA Atlas is now to the NW of Margate, looking at its history on ShipAIS it was towed very close to the Do17 but is going to Chatham, that or its an elaborate plan to burn diesel by going up and down the Kent coast.

I’ve read that B-24 41-23728 “Hot Stuff” of the 93rd BG was probably the first to reach its 25th (7th Feb 43) but had an unfortunate coming together with an Icelandic mountain on the transit flight back to the US with only the tail gunner surviving, not really the home coming of the first crew that the US media would have wanted to print.

There are at least a couple of others missing from the BAPC list, the MoSI in Manchester have a sectioned Hercules, not sure which Mk. I think it is a later version.

To me it doesn’t say SS it says 1944, just an odd way of writing 4.