Spitfires Found New In Crates...

[Painless]

Actually FOUND in Burma.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9203822/Spitfires-buried-in-Burma-during-war-to-be-returned-to-UK.html

cheers

Mick

[PapaBear]

Yeah caught it on the news tonight, will be interesting to see what condition they are in.

[Streak]

That is VERY cool!

[T_O_A_D]

I wonder if they were packed in cosmolean <spelling? I sort of doubt it since they were intended to be placed right into service.

40 feet would probably stop most oxygen, but not water seep I don't think.

Were RAP shipping them in wooden crates, or steel?

[Jabo]

Not sure in this case Todd, but the pictures I've seen of Hurricanes being unpacked on Malta shows metal container-style crates. I'd like to think that there are 60-odd 'new' Spitfires there just waiting to be unearthed but somehow I doubt it's that simple.

Jabo

[DD_Brando]

Can't really say I've ever trusted the Daily Telegraph further than I can spit. Only a Tory-backed rag could print a line like "...... iconic Spitfire aircraft buried in Burma during the Second World War are to be repatriated to Britain after an intervention by David Cameron." I can't help thinking that the phrase "repatriated to Britain" is entirely inappropriate and disrespectful too, considering the number of British soldiers whose deaths have really earned that soubriquet in the last decade.

As some wag stated, "... a squadron of Spitfires? Well, at least we will have something to fly off our new carriers!"

[Painless]

~S~ Chaps,

I'm not really concerned with the politics of the matter I just, (like the old fellow who has spent 15 years trying to find them) would LOVE to see some or all of them fly again ! It would be fanastic (if unlikely) to imaging a squadron of Mk II's rushing across the Duxford grass on an actual SCRAMBLE to straff a confirmed Taliban convoy on the M1 heading for London!!

I wonder what will eventually happen to them ? Scattered to the four winds to private ownership? All sold to Alan Sugar /Richard Branson/ Elton John ? It's all just a "Scramble in the wind"

BTW: are there any other MkII's flying anywhere ?

~S~ P.

[DD_Brando]

Yeah. Sorry to rain on your parade Mick - nothing personal.

[Painless]

~S~ Brando M8,

Hey no worries my friend I dislike nearly all things political as a default setting LOL

Now all we need is 100+ 109F's in crates found buried just outside of Dublin ! (to make it a fair fight)

Mick.

[DD_Arthur]

I just have a great deal of trouble believing there's anything down there period.

Nothing has been found yet. This isn't the same team that "found" a Short Sunderland in Lake Windermere is it?

[Jabo]

This isn't the same team that "found" a Short Sunderland in Lake Windermere is it?

Lol - yes, I recall that was a bit of a bust

[BluBear]

~S~ Chaps,

I'm not really concerned with the politics of the matter I just, (like the old fellow who has spent 15 years trying to find them) would LOVE to see some or all of them fly again ! It would be fanastic (if unlikely) to imaging a squadron of Mk II's rushing across the Duxford grass on an actual SCRAMBLE to straff a confirmed Taliban convoy on the M1 heading for London!!

I wonder what will eventually happen to them ? Scattered to the four winds to private ownership? All sold to Alan Sugar /Richard Branson/ Elton John ? It's all just a "Scramble in the wind"

BTW: are there any other MkII's flying anywhere ?

~S~ P.

Mick

The only currently airworthy MkII is the BBMF example IIRC.

There are now three MkI's though, which is jolly nice!

[DD_Bongodriver]

I read in an article they are Mk14's and it's actually just 16 aircraft with a further 4 only potential, quite amazing story on how the chap came to start looking for these things, he overheard a group of US veterans talking about weird stuff they did during the war and one guy mentioned burying these spits, the story sounds like it's gone beyond just speculation, apparently this guy has made a borehole to get cameras to look at the crates and they look fine, the location is secret.

TOAD the spelling you are looking for is Cosmoline....but that stuff was really for preserving firearms

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/burma/9204921/British-farmers-quest-to-find-lost-Spitfires-in-Burma.html

[T_O_A_D]

Thanks, great link too.

[Painless]

~S~ Chasps,

It would be really incredible if even one airworthy Spit was assembled from the "crates" but I too have some doubts about the condition they might be in. There is still the possibility that nothing worthwhile will be recovered but I'm going to keep an open mind. Just to reassure myself that I still have a few "optimistic" bones left in my body at 51.......I will bet £5 sterling with any ONE DD that there is a Spit or Spits found in a recoverable to airworthyness condition ! Bet to be settled at Duxford.(2075)

~S~ Penniless.

[DD_Arthur]

Ooooohhhhhh. Five whole pounds? Tempting. Very tempting. Before I put my wife's money where my mouth is, it strikes me that all they've got to dig up is the plate thingy wiv' the important numbers on and Bob's yer uncle we can build you a spitty sir!!

I mean the one they dug out of the beach at Le Tourquet and "restored" how much of that was in the thing we see flying around today?

[FoolTrottel]

Ooooohhhhhh. Five whole pounds? Tempting. Very tempting. Before I put my wife's money where my mouth is, it strikes me that all they've got to dig up is the plate thingy wiv' the important numbers on and Bob's yer uncle we can build you a spitty sir!!

I mean the one they dug out of the beach at Le Tourquet and "restored" how much of that was in the thing we see flying around today?

Ooooohhhhhh. Five whole pounds?

[Jabo]

English pounds?

[Tonar]

You guys don't use euros???

I am Cornfused

[DD_Bongodriver]

Not in the UK we don't

[Jabo]

Euros? Pfft I think not.

Mind you just cos we're not in the single currency, doesn't mean we're exempt from paying out millions to bail out banks that are...Moving on...

[BadAim]

Wow, this is amazing! Five pounds English? That's got to be worth like a million Lira, which I could then trade for 1 yen, which would then get me a nickel which isn't worth a damn thing except for the scrap value of the metal, but hey it's something.

Your on, even though I actually believe the story, I mean it's to freaking crazy to be false!

[Painless]

~S~ BA M8,

As you know you are my spiritual mentor so I'm not sure that I would feel comfortable taking your money !!! LMAO

Seriously, I know all the arguments against these Spits (MK XIVs apparantly) being buried in the first place rather than destroyed, being stored to last, and surviving all these years in such a wet climate BUT........One reason for their careful burial has been voiced and that is... because there was a certain amount of capture, retreat, re capture going on within that area at the time, the Spits were buried with the intensioin of being dug up for use by the allies undiscovered by the Japs at a later date.

Also the Burmese government are trying to get in with the west right now so they will not stand in the way of the recovery operation.

What do you think chaps ??

~S~ Painless

[BadAim]

I think it's quite possible, if not entirely plausible. But I don't really think it's any more crazy an idea than finding a Focke Wulf in a forest in Russia.

[fruitbat]

i think the 'being buried to be dug up later' is pure BS, they were buried because they were not needed imo.

At that time there was no retreat etc going on, japan was loosing the war.