German aircraft lifted ‘largely intact’ after over 70 years in Channel

The aircraft was shot down off the Kent coast more than 70 years ago during the Battle of Britain and it is believed to be the biggest recovery of its kind in British waters.

Attempts by the RAF Museum to raise the aircraft over the last few weeks were hit by strong winds before the operation was finally successful.

The plan – three years in the making – was adapted and involved attaching lifting equipment to what were believed to be the strongest parts of the aircraft’s frame and raising it whole, in a single lift instead of constructing a cage around it, which was the original idea.

The existence of the aircraft at Goodwin Sands became known when it was spotted by divers in 2008 at a depth of some 50ft lying on a chalk bed with a small debris field around it.

Sonar scans by the RAF Museum, Wessex Archaeology and the Port of London Authority then confirmed it as the Dornier Do 17Z Werke number 1160.

Experts are excited by the find because other than the effects of sea life, such as barnacles, it is largely intact. Amazingly its main undercarriage tyres remain inflated but the propellers clearly show the damage inflicted during its final sortie, experts have said.

After being towed on a barge to port, work will start to conserve and prepare the Dornier for display.

It will be placed in two hydration tunnels and soaked in citric acid for the first stage of its conservation. Once the delicate process is complete, the aircraft will be displayed at the museum’s London site within the context of the Battle of Britain story.