Operation to recover the wreck of Donier 17

Last Friday saw the start of the excavation of the wreck of the German bomber Dornier 17, the wreck of which has been lying in the waters of the English Channel since the Second World War. We informed our readers about the finding of the wreck in text from April 11, 2011.

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Initially designed as a reconnaissance aircraft, it was reclassified as a medium bomber in the 1930s. Due to its peculiar design, it was nicknamed the flying pencil by its pilots. The most remarkable thing about this wreck is that it is most likely the last existing example.

The action, which began at the end of last week, marked the beginning of a two-year excavation and preservation process to which the find will be subjected. The whole project is being carried out under the auspices and initiative of the Royal Air Force Museum at a cost of around £500,000.

What is most on the minds of those involved in the project is that, according to sonar images, the wreck is in one piece. This is unusual, as aircraft crashing at sea usually break into many pieces. All the more surprising, therefore, are the materials collected about the Dornier 17, which is made of aluminium and other lightweight and not very durable materials.

For the entire operation, the English are drawing on the help and experience of their colleagues at the German Museum of Technology in Berlin. In their opinion, based on the operations carried out so far, nothing spectacular should be expected. The wreck may indeed be in one piece, but due to the materials used in its construction, it could be in a terrible state.

In the coming days we will know the answer to how much has been saved from the all-consuming “tooth of time”. If the optimistic scenario assumed by the islanders comes true, the wreck of the Dornier will be available for visitors to the RAF museum in a few years.

Source: bbc.co.uk