Raising a WWII German Bomber off Kent Coast
The Dornier 17-z was the last model of a thin fuselage German bomber from the second World War.
Nicknamed “the Flying Pencil”, it was as important to the German Battle of Britain effort as the Spitfire was to the British effort in defending us.
Apart from a rear tail section, NONE of these planes exist anywhere in the world, so the recovery of this plane is hugely important to all concerned.
British marine recovery company, Seatech, based in Southampton, started work to recover the plane on Friday, last week, by constructing a frame around the wreckage because of the fragile state of the plane.
It is estimated to take 3 or 4 weeks to start the lift because the working conditions are not favourable.
Although in only 50 feet of water, off Goodwin Sands, about 12.5km due east from Deal, Kent, the tides are quite strong and divers can only work for around 4 hours a day, at ‘slack water’, the time between the tides and the team are also dependent on good weather as well.
Diving had to cease last Friday, not long after they started.
The Dornier 17-z was constructed from aluminium, which does not like sea-water, so the chances are that it is very fragile, hence the lifting structure being built around it.
Only time will tell whether it can be lifted in one piece or not.
However, the divers on-site, part of the experienced team, reported that the plane looks in remarkably good condition with little obstruction to the lift.
A previous site survey, also carried out by Seatech, revealed some artefacts, which are being researched by students at Imperial College in London.
The plane will be taken to RAF Cosford in Shropshire, where they are building an area for the plane to be doused in fresh water and lemon juice, which Dr Mary Ryan at Imperial College, has found stops the corrosion of aluminium.
So, for the next year and a half, the whole plane will be sprayed every 10 mins out of 30 mins!
See the BBC interview with one of the divers, here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22414584 
Mark
http://www.thedivingmagazine.com/2013/05/wwii-german-bomber-found-in-english-channel/
editor@thedivingmagazine.com
BSAFU!
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