Warbird Information Exchange

Gentlemen,

Briefly,the following news appeared in the 13 October 2005 issue of the Winnipeg Free Press reported by Randy Boswell:

Canadian scientits conducting research in the Gulf of St. Lawrence have discovered what is believed to be a treasure of national history: the wreck of the SS Nicoya, the sinking of which in May 1942 marked the first U-boat attack in Canada during the Second World War.

The wreck was found about 11 kilometers off the Gaspe coast by researchers from the Canadian Hydrographic Service who were carrying out a study of the habitat of the threatened wolf fish.Their seafloor mapping device picked up images of a massive metal object about 115 meters long and 30 meters wide in the same area where the Nicoya was struck by torpedoes from a German submarine 11 May 1942.

Six men died in the sinking but about 70 others on board scrambled into lifeboats ane safely reached the shore around dawn.

Also sent to the bottom of the gulf with the Nicoya were two Hawker Hurricane aircraft that were being shipped overseas for service in England. The vintage planes which had been stored in crates for the voyage could stoke interest in exploring the wreck or even in a recovery operation.

I had heard of that story about 5 years ago.

The biggest issue with reccovery in that area are:

- Underwater visibility.....awfull
- Current...and there is a lot
- And its Sea water, not fresh water

There was interest in Canada by a couple of groups to recover, but I never heard again afterwerth.

Hm,

I had never heard of this "adventure" before. But, a couple of questions if I may. Now, please understand that for the most part, the aircraft parts that I have been around, especially those from and for World War Two aircraft, were packed extensively in cosmolene...almost to the point of packed in what I called a "ball of wax". Would it have not been a proper way of shiping the aircraft in question in such manner to avoid of prevent corrosive damage during the shipping voyage ? And if such packaging methods were employed, would these aircraft be in some way restorable if they were salvageable at all ?

Just my two cents worth,

Paul