Warbird Information Exchange

Some colour pictures of the Hendon Halifax W1048,taken just after it surfaced and landed on the shore of Norwegian lake Hoklingen.
I believe the year was 1973.
Indeed this was exiting I recall ,since it was my first contact with any-kind
of wreck.

http://community.webshots.com/user/perbjorkqvist

Enjoy!

Great pics, thanks for sharing.

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Ahhh, one of the legends of aircraft recovery. At that point nobody would know how the Halifax population would grow in the coming thirty years with hopefully another to be added soon.

Cheers

Cees

???

Do you know something we don't?

Spill the beans!

Tony

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...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

There was a story circulating in the Canadian papers a few months ago about another Halifax that was suspected to be in deep water off the Irish coast. If I remember correctly a search and recovery was being planned by the same gentleman that recovered the Trenton Halifax. The article also mentioned that there was another Halifax that was recoverable if the first proved impossible.

That is all that I remember off the top of my head. This topic was discussed on the old forum. If I get a chance today, I will see if I can find it.

Mike

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Mike R. Henniger
Aviation Enthusiast & Photographer
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Do you want to find locations of displayed, stored or active aircraft? Then start with the The Locator.
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Hi Mike,
I remember the Irish link but knowing that Cees will have his finger on the pulse of anything Halifax, I was just wondering if this was yet another new discovery.

Interesting pictures anyway, its just shame the airframe seems to be a similar condition (albeit stable) now, as to when it was raised 31 years ago.

_________________
...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

Hi Tony,

Well, I was referring to the Irish Sea example, but there are at least two other possible candidates for recovery. The one in the German lake (unfortunately complete with its bombload) and one (possibly two?) that crashed in the sea off Gibraltar.

Cheers

Cees,
I assume that its safe to say that the airframe in Germany will remain untouched due to its 'load' but what about the others?

I also seem to remember reading a few years ago, possibly in either Flypast or Aeroplane monthly (it could also have been via the internet, as I also seem to remember seeing photographs but old age and all that .........!), that the RAFM had located a Stirling, under water, but this seems to have disappeared from the 'scope'!

I can't remember where and cannot be sure of the source but seem to remember that it was 'fairly complete' and wonder if anybody can add to this?

Tony

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...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

Tony,

Well, there was a high profile investigation going on by the British MOD if my memory serves me right. The Stirling had crashed into a Norwegian lake (that's how we like them stored best) and broken up in 26 sections or something in that fashion. On the edge of the lake was a sawmill which had used the lake as a means of disposing off its waiste. The silt at the bottom of the lake was several metres thick and terribly polluted causing divers to get irritated eyes. The bottom line was that all work had stopped because one or two of the crewmembers were officially listed missing and it was considered a "wargrave".

Total and utter bloody nonsense as this is the best opportunity to make sure these people are given a decent burial. Remember NA337? One of its crewmembers was (and still is) listed as missing in action but their goal was to make sure that if he was still in the wreck, he would be given a full military burial, unfortunately he was never found.

Another "fine" example of British MOD shortsightedness AKA we do not want to do our best to bring home our sons.

Cheers

Cees

Sadly, no argument there, from me

Tony

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...and pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in Space cos there's bugger all down here on Earth!

Hi all,

I believe this is the RAF sub-aqua expedition to the sunken Stirling.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafactive/subaqua-ed8.htm


Paul.


p.s. What about hidden hali's in Pakistan..... (p.s.s. what became of all the French Halifax's)?

Hi Paul,

Yes, that's the one. But after their conclusion that the aircraft is too badly broken up, there must be large components that can be used for reconstruction or patterns.

Personally I think they went to so much trouble and made a conclusion that they could have made before starting the whole thing in the first place. Make you think what a waiste of time and money.

My two (unwanted) eurocents

Cheers

Cees