German bomber to rise from its English Channel grave
The only surviving German second world war Dornier Do 17 bomber is to be raised from the English Channel in an operation announced on Friday.
The plane's retrieval from the Goodwin Sands off the Kent coast more than 70 years after it was shot down during the battle of Britain will mark the biggest recovery of its kind in British waters, the RAF Museum said.
The existence of the aircraft became known when it was spotted by divers in 2008 at a depth of around 15 metres (50ft) on a chalk bed.
Sonar scans by the RAF Museum, Wessex Archaeology and the Port of London Authority then confirmed the identity of the aircraft as the Dornier Do 17Z Werke number 1,160.
Nicknamed the Luftwaffe's "flying pencil" bombers because of their narrow fuselage, the aircraft is said to be in "remarkable condition".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/03/german-bomber-rise-english-channel
Dornier 17
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http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/cosford/things-to-see-and-do/dornier-17-conservation/dornier-17.aspx
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Last edited Fri May 3, 2013, 02:01 PM - Edit history (1)
with Isopon and few tins of Holts from Halford's. 
it was destined for the IWM collection at Duxford, but I've just had a quick check, and it's actually going to the RAF Museum at Cosford for preservation, and then probably to Hendon for display. The fashion these days is just to stabilise them so they can be displayed, rather than restored to pristine, factory new condition. Witness the Halifax here that sat in a Norwegian lake for thirty odd years. They started by restoring the nose turret and then had a sort of "Bollocks, leave it as it is" moment.
Some people argue that it's a fitting memorial to their crews, but I'd prefer to see something other than a pile of scrap on a pile of shingle. Still, what does my opinion matter?
Back to the Dornier. I'm sure there are German museums that would like it (the Luftwaffe Museum at Gatow and the Flugwerft at Oberschleißheim in Bavaria spring to mind) but it's not going to be returned to its former owners. Finders keepers, like the 109 at Duxford. This display could be described as insult to injury. They even went as far as adding Private Pike. 
I hope they get it up in once piece, but my head says it will be extremely unlikely.
The final example I'll give is a Blackburn Skua from another Norwegian fjord. It's about a third of the size of the Dornier, was in better condition, but still broke in two as they raised it.
Fingers crossed.
I'm amazed and delighted it came up in more or less one piece, given that they used the spar rather than the lifting frame. The last time I checked they'd pumped the sand out of the fuselage and engine nacelles, but the wing outer sections were still full. It's a bit of a tribute to the Dornier company that the wings stayed on and the fuselage didn't collapse. The fittings and what they are attached to have been immersed in salt water for a long time, and they took all the weight of wings, engines and sand filling as the thing was lifted. You can see how the wings are attached from this photo.
A really magnificent job from all involved, and two fingers up to the nay sayers who seemed to want it to fail. "It'll crumble into dust", "It'll collapse as soon as they get it out of the water". Err, no it won't.
Last edited Tue Jun 11, 2013, 09:17 AM - Edit history (1)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/10111792/Last-surviving-German-bomber-lifted-off-bottom-of-the-Channel.html
