Spitfires???

R

Reddog

SOH-CM-2014
A while back there was an article about some Spits found in Burma still in there crates. Haven't seen anythihg since then, was it true? were they recovered?
 
I wouldn't get your hopes up to much. There has been a lot of early discussion, but, now, I think most people have shut up and are waiting to see if anything actually eventuates.

Buried in the mud in Burma for 65 years..............imagine what else you've seen buried in mud for long periods of time.........................

We can but hope..........
 
SPman said:
I wouldn't get your hopes up to much. There has been a lot of early discussion, but, now, I think most people have shut up and are waiting to see if anything actually eventuates.

Buried in the mud in Burma for 65 years..............imagine what else you've seen buried in mud for long periods of time.........................

We can but hope..........
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As I understand it they are crated and unassembled
 
They were actually prepped for burial, meaning grease and sealant. They weren't just tossed into the ground.

Remains to be seen. Surely they may be in far better shape than many other rehabilitation projects, and with that kind of number there will be plenty of parts donors should it come to that.
 
TeaSea said:
They were actually prepped for burial, meaning grease and sealant. They weren't just tossed into the ground.

Remains to be seen. Surely they may be in far better shape than many other rehabilitation projects, and with that kind of number there will be plenty of parts donors should it come to that.
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Prepped? Perhaps...not what a modern version of prepped would entail though - airforce units disposing of unwanted aircraft so they can go home don't have long term preservation in mind.....
Hopefully, they might get lucky - a bit like Glacier Girl.......
 
My understanding from reading the original articles was that they were buried in their shipping crates, never having been unpacked at their destination. That implies to me that they were prepped for a sea voyage, but not preserved for long term storage. As has been said, there should be plenty of parts to build at least a few out of. At least they're not wrecked. Very likely the engines would have survived quite well. It all depends on how much water got into the crates.
 
Seems to me the hold up in recovery was a urination contest over ownership rights between Mr. Cundall, who spent 16 years looking for and finally discovering them, and a multimillionaire tycoon in the UK.

From the article.

But after arriving by rail at a Burmese RAF base, they were deemed surplus to requirements and were never used.
The fighters were buried in transport crates on the orders of Lord Louis Mountbatten. They were waxed, wrapped in greased paper and their joints tarred to protect against decay.
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They are buried, so UV exposure was not an issue. Moisture might be an issue, depending upon how well the greased paper worked.
 
pfflyers said:
It all depends on how much water got into the crates.
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Ever seen a WW2 aircraft shipping crate - waterproof, they ain't!
There will hopefully be a mass of parts which may be useable though...still....I suppose we'll eventually find out....
 
Thank's for the link Morton, a very interesting update. This is the first time I've heard them raise the estimated number of aircraft to as many as 124. I think comparing this to the discovery of King Tut's tomb might be a bit much though.
 
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