English Channel Weather Delaying Salvage Of German Bomber

The English Channel has on many occasions been a last line of defence when it comes to repelling unwanted invaders, and it is proving an obstacle again, although in a slightly different way. Poor weather in the area has been delaying the lifting of the only surviving World War II Dornier 17 bomber in a high profile salvage operation.

Original plans have been cast aside in favour of a a faster but riskier approach which has been compared with the salvage of the Mary Rose, the famous Tudor warship raised from the Solent in 1982, and which has also been in the news this week, with the opening of its new museum at Portsmouth.

The salvage barge with large crane on board arrived on site a month ago today, but weather conditions have not been helpful. An aluminium cradle or frame was to be built around the wreck, which would offer the greatest protection to the aircraft.

Fifteen days diving have been lost, with shelter being sought in Ramsgate harbour on a number of occasions. It has now been found that the wreck is partly lying on chalk bedrock as well as sand and silt.

Financial constraints are now coming into play, with the original budget of more than £500,000 only allowing 35 days to complete the project. If they stuck with the original plan it would  take 50 days, longer if the bad weather returned, incurring extra costs of tens of thousands of pounds,

"We're having to rely to a larger degree than we originally planned on the structural integrity of the aircraft," said Ian Thirsk, the RAF Museum's head of collections.
"But we have no choice. We're doing what we can to save a unique and precious heritage asset. If we leave it one thing is certain - it won't be there in a year's time."

The Dornier 17 was a mainstay of the German bomber fleets during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The plane in question is thought to be aircraft call-sign 5K-AR, shot down on 26 August that year at the height of the battle.

                                            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_17