During World War II, the British Isles witnessed extensive aerial combat, resulting in numerous aircraft crashes due to combat damage or mechanical failures. Eighty years later, it's rare to see these historic aircraft lying around in fields; most have been scrapped. However, a surprising number of World War II planes remain remarkably intact, albeit submerged, in the lakes, rivers, and reservoirs across the UK. These aircraft, many of which were ditched or crashed into bodies of water during the war, were often too difficult or costly to recover at the time.
As decades have passed, the scarcity of these aircraft has increased their value for restoration and display, leading to some fascinating discoveries.
In 1976, a significant find occurred in Loch Ness, Scotland. A Vickers Wellington Mark I bomber, which had ditched in the loch on New Year's Eve 1940 during a training mission, was discovered. The aircraft had completed fourteen operational missions over Germany before its crash.
The wreck was located using side-scan sonar, lying seventy meters below the surface. It was not recovered until 1985 and has since been restored and is now on public display at Brooklands Museum in Surrey, England—one of only two mostly complete Wellingtons still in existence.
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