People Web International

SOUTH EAST, UNITED KINGDOM

 The Port of London Authority have been recently commissioned by the RAF Museum in Hendon to survey a WWII wreckage of the Kent Coastline. The Aircraft, a 1930’s design Dornier 17 flown by the Luftwaffe in the 2nd World War, went undiscovered until 2 years ago. It is sitting just 15 meters deep at Goodwin Sands, Kent. The plane is thought to have been shot down during the battle of Britain approximately 70 years ago, after taking heavy fire it made an emergency landing at sea, 2 of the 4 crewmen died but 2 survived the crash who became prisons of war.

The RAF museum at Hendon in London are very keen to raise and preserve this extremely rare Dornier 17 as it is thought to be the last of its kind. Surprisingly, the aeroplane is in excellent condition and is still intact. RAF Head of Collections Ian Thirsk was on board the Port of London Authorities high-tech vessel at the end of last month as the sonar scanning took place. He is planning to have it displayed at Hendon in a state of preservation as opposed to having it fully restored. Mr Thirsk believes this aircraft is a unique aeroplane and it's linked to an iconic event in British history, so its importance cannot be overemphasised, nationally and internationally. According to Mr Thirsk “It's one of the most significant aeronautical finds of the century.”

By: reporter south.east.england@peoplewebinternational.com