Wreckage of Dornier DO-17 aircraft discovered

British authorities have announced the discovery of the resting place of the wreckage of a German Dornier DO-17 aircraft, which was shot down on 26 August 1940 during the Battle of Britain, in the county of Kent. Resting in the shifting sands of the seabed for more than 70 years, the wreckage of the aircraft was found and photographed using modern sonar and appears to be in perfect condition.

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The wreckage was first encountered in the autumn of 2010. The remains of the plane survived covered by a layer of sand, known in this area as Goodwin Sands. A large part of the wreck’s excellent preservation was its aluminium construction, which did not consist of too many elements.

This is great news, given that only 1,700 were produced of the aircraft, nicknamed the “flying pencil” because of its narrow fuselage. During the Nazi campaign until the withdrawal of this model in 1942, most of the aircraft were destroyed during the war or scrapped, and the wreck found here is probably the only tangible example.

The condition of the find makes the local authorities want to excavate it and put it on display in a museum, because, as they say, it is one of the most significant discoveries in aviation history in the last century. The RAF Museum has even launched an appeal to raise funds for the project.

Until it is excavated, the biggest worry for the authorities remains divers who will want to visit the wreck to plunder it of the remaining fittings and other small souvenirs, as the German Dorning DO-17 rests at just 16m.

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk