Dornier: Bid To Raise Aircraft Abandoned

A first attempt to raise the last surviving World War 2 German Dornier aircraft from the English Channel has been abandoned.

Divers had hoped to begin the lift around 9pm on Sunday evening but the wind and the swell below water was too strong and they decided not to risk it.

They are now monitoring the weather forecast and will make another attempt on Monday if conditions are suitable.

Attempts have been made in the past to recover the plane, but conditions have meant it has not been successful.

The original plan, designed by Seatech, a commercial diving company, was to build an aluminium frame around the wreck and then lift it gently out of the water.

The cage frame was designed to spread the pressure on the fragile shell and give it additional support.

But recent rough seas have meant the salvage barge and giant crane have had to seek refuge in Ramsgate four times, thereby delaying the project and risking massive overspend.

If the operation is delayed another year, the chances are there would be little left of the aircraft.

A team of experts from Seatech have lived on a barge for the past month, diving daily, sometimes four times a day.

The new plan involves attaching cables to the aircraft. A steel rod running between the bomb door and tail section will add additional support.

The wings of the plane will now experience increased pressure as they are pulled up through the water.

The budget for the project is around £600,000 for 35 days of work funded in part by charitable donations to the RAF Museum which commissioned the project and will take ownership of the plane once recovered.

The Dornier 17 was shot down on August 26 1940.

It crash landed on Goodwin Sands, around six miles off the Kent coast.

It has laid there ever since, covered by sand.

Once it is out of the water the plane will be put on a barge and taken to shore around midday on Monday if all goes according to plan.

It will then be transported to the Sir Michael Beetham Conservation Centre in Shropshire for restoration.

Its final destination will be the RAF Museum in North London where it will go on display alongside other aircraft from the Battle of Britain.