Pity. Thanks for the info.

New aeroplanes would have been transported in cases, just as any other machinery. Crashed recovered probably on whatever flat wagons were available. Scrap would have been in any open wagon that was available. There is a photo kicking around of the remains of a Sunderland in farly small pieces heading through Cardiff, will have to see if I can find the book in question.

Just bumping this thread as the identity of the Spitfire in question intrigues me. I was hoping that Mark 12 would be around to elucidate but he does not seem to have been active lately?

Quite possibly so.

It wouldn’t have been P7350 – she had her 3-bladed prop fitted and was stored outside

The OP stated that it was stored outside.

According to http://www.deroeck.co.uk/Spitfire-Story-01.html:

Spitfire Mk IIa Serial P7350 XT-W P7350 is the oldest surviving airworthy Spitfire and is still with the Royal Air Force. Following a chequered career, it is now operated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, based at RAF Conningsby. P7350 was first delivered into RAF service in August 1940 and saw action with several squadrons including 266, 603, 616, and 64 Squadrons. Repaired following an accident P7350 was returned to the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge, near Kings Lynn where it suffered damage in another accident. Following this mishap it was repaired and sent to 57 OTU, where it remained as a training aeroplane until being scrapped in March 1946. By good fortune the aircraft was recognised for what it was and the scrap dealers handed it back to the Royal Air Force Museum at Colerne. There it stayed until, in 1967, it too was returned to flying condition for a role in the epic film The Battle of Britain. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight obtained the aircraft after the filming and it has remained with them up to current time.

Could this be the one? I don’t think it ever had a 2 blade prop though.

I can see the point of surveying and clearing the immediate area where construction is to begin but surely they’d not waste money dredging a wide area. Is there somewhere we can look up where the practice torpedoing took place?

True enough, I was forgetting that there was a large area away from the construction yard, untouched.