Spitfires Found!

[Snautzer01]

We found something! Brit excavation team find crate believed to hold buried Spitfires in Myanmar | Bangkok Post: breakingnews

 

[Njaco]

Thanks Snautzer. I moved your thread to an existing thread about the crated Spits.

 

[Airframes]

Hm. Don't like the sound of that water. could still be in reasonably good condition, and restorable, but maybe not as good as originally hoped.

 

[stona]

"Man made objects". Reminds me of the British Army's large stocks of mule shoes,carefully stored well into the late 20th century
Cheers
Steve

 

[woljags]

this would make great t.v for aircraft buffs showing the recovery etc and could poss make some funds available to aid in their recovery/restoration

 

[Airframes]

I think they'll be filming/recording it Bob, for just that reason. Whatever the outcome, it'll make for a good TV documentary at some point in the future - beats the heck out of 'Time Team'!!

 

[evangilder]

Hm. Don't like the sound of that water. could still be in reasonably good condition, and restorable, but maybe not as good as originally hoped.

I agree, Terry. Murky water for low visibility...It's not just the water, but what's in the soils around it and the composition of what is clouding the water. I'm still optimistic though.

 

[prem895]

Me too

 

[Geedee]

They aint Spitfires.... them's Seafires

 

[vikingBerserker]

..... or "Molefires"

I'll show myself out.........

 

[Airframes]

Or maybe S*itfires!
On a more serious note, during WW2 the airfield at Mingaladon was to be found in two types of condition - either a total dust bowl, with dust literally ankle deep, or, in the Monsoon season, flooded and a sea of mud. As Eric stated, the water is not the big problem (apart from the logistics entailed in pumping/draining etc), it's what's in the soils that could cause corrosion problems.
If they weren't already crossed due to arthritis, I'd keep my fingers crossed that what (if anything) is recovered is worthwhile, and not a heap of corroded parts.

 

[woljags]

well they are going to have to find their Wellington's 1st

 

[Airframes]

Ah, use Wellington's to find Spitfires, before a Hurricane or Typhoon hits the area......... I'll get me coat!

 

[Gnomey]

Yeah, the water/mud/soil won't of done much good I think. Be interesting to see if others are found in better places, less conducive to corrosion.

Still at least they found something whatever it is. Certainly will beat the crap out of Time Team...

Terry.

 

[Aozora]

I'm a sceptic - first, why go to the trouble of burying surplus Spitfires when the usual policy was to simply gather surplus aircraft into the middle of a field and drive a bulldozer through them or, as the Americans did, dump them off the side of a carrier, or dynamite them?

Secondly, if these are Mk XIVs, as the story has long suggested, then something would have turned up in the records by now suggesting that there are some 20 to 100 XIVs, out of the just over 1,000 built, unaccounted for. I have been looking here Spitfire - Main and in Morgan and Shacklady and can find nothing to show "missing" Mk XIVs.

If lots of Spitfires turn up I will be pleased as punch, but, until they are proven to be real I won't hold my breath...

 

[Crimea_River]

I think these guys need to be cautious with their press releases. Raising hopes over a watery box of man made parts makes for plenty of PR management if these turn out to be rusty forks and spoons.

 

[Wayne Little]

Show me the money....

 

[Thorlifter]

A similar article was posted on telegraph.co.uk yesterday and it said it would take 2 weeks to drain the water. Dayum!!!! How big is this crate?

If you want to read the other article, here is the link...

Burma Spitfire search finds water-filled crate that may contain plane - Telegraph

 

[bobbysocks]

kind of funny....the first report i read said they were able to send a camera down and see perfectly...that is why they were confident they were in really good shape. iirc the first reports said they were still in the original paper wrapping with some sort of oil as a protectorant....now they are in muddy water???

 

[Crimea_River]

The two weeks makes sense if it refers to installing well points around the site to lower the water table. Obviously, pumping water out of the box alone will just pull more in from outside unless you get the overall level below the container.