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Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 9:45 pm
by oceanexploration
Hello all,

I am new here. The reason why I am here is I wanted to share with you the following story. You heard it here first. This will be in the news in the coming weeks.
Towards the end of the Second World War, a British Short Stirling heavy bomber en route to drop supplies to Norwegian resistance forces disappeared without a trace. The mystery now appears to be solved. In the late summer of 2012, I lead a survey across the North Sea as part of the ongoing North Sea Link project, a high voltage DC cable connection between Norway and the UK. Among a multitude of other findings, one seemingly insignificant target caught my attention. This target not only was unnoticed by others but looked remarkably unimportant to anyone else once I drew attention to it. I decided to check it out anyway. The weather was awful and the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) could not be deployed, despite the purpose built 55m survey vessel. We were headed in towards land to get out of harms way. The last thing anyone wanted to do was stop to check out a little junk on the seabed. Still, as client I had the final call, although this made me very unpopular at the time. We got to the site late in the evening and deployed a drop camera into stirred up murky water and frothing seas rimmed with white caps and into a chilling stiff wind. When reaching the bottom, there was virtually nothing evident. Then, out of the darkness came some small pieces of unidentifiable metallic debris which looked like aluminum. Then, some wiring and connectors, some engine parts, and finally a tail wheel of an aircraft. We hurriedly recovered the camera and ran to port to wait out the weather. Report of the finding went to the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), then aerospace engineering and curator Birger Larsen of the Norwegian Aviation Museum and aviation historian Bengt Stangvik. He pointed out the characteristic hoop on the wheel indicates it could come from a British Short Stirling bomber. This also fit well with one of the other photographs, that show a cylinder from an air-cooled engine. This was consistent with NIKU and our thoughts as well.

In early 1944, the Short Stirling was phased out of bomber flights, but continued to play a major role as a glider tug and supply aircraft. It was as a supply aircraft that the Short Stirling mostly operated over Norway, from autumn 1944 to the end of the war.
“Several Stirlings disappeared without trace on missions to Norway in winter 1944-45. Based on the location of this wreck, it is probable that it was on a mission to drop supplies to the resistance forces in Western Norway. If this is the case, only one Stirling disappeared during these missions,” he explains.
“On the night of 30-31 March 1945, a Short Stirling Mk. IV PK225 (5G-Q) disappeared during supply drop operation ‘Stirrup 8’. Stirrup 8 was the code name for supply drops to the Norwegian resistance in South West Norway. Naturally, it could be one of the other Stirlings that were lost in operations to Norway, but the position of the wreck makes this less likely,” Stangvik says.

Short Stirling Mk. IV PK225 had a crew of six and the crew list is still on record.
“The plane wreck does not fall under the protection of the Cultural Heritage Act, but the wreck has a high preservation value as a war memorial,” Inge Lindblom of NIKU says.

Of the numerous wrecks and aircraft I have found over the years, it is relatively uncommon to find out the precise identity of the wreckage. I hope this find brings some closure to the families of the servicemen who bravely served, fought, and in this case died for their country and brothers in the sky. I am humbled by them.

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 10:11 pm
by oceanexploration
Photographs:

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 10:13 pm
by jamesinnewcastle
Hi

Some close ups of various Stirling rear wheels for reference.

However, I have an inkling that the wheel hoop wasn't on the MKIV and the tyre was not the usual toroidal (donut) shape but had two hard ridges, but I've not really studied the later marks.

I think that the aircraft shown below must be at least a MKIII as the radio altimeter aerial was something that would have been very useful for gardening giving a more precise height than the standard altimeters.



James

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 10:25 pm
by jamesinnewcastle
A few more

James

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 10:14 pm
by oceanexploration
Impressive James! Thanks for sharing. According to the Norwegian historians, right or wrong, it is a Stirling Mk. IV PK225 (5G-Q) which disappeared during supply drop operation ‘Stirrup 8’. Stirrup 8 was the code name for supply drops to the Norwegian resistance in South West Norway. Short Stirling Mk. IV PK225 had a crew of six and the crew list is still on record.

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 8:53 am
by Stirling Project
I wonder if the 'debris 4' image shows the remains of a glider towing yoke.

Whilst this was role equipment and could be removed, they seem to be a pretty much permanent fit on operational Mk IVs

John

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Sat Sep 02, 2017 1:41 pm
by oceanexploration

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2017 2:03 pm
by AlanW
I'm surprised that they can claim it to be that of PK225 without any hard evidence to say it is.

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Sat Sep 23, 2017 9:27 am
by oceanexploration
Hi Alan,

I am also surprised they were able to come out and say it is likely PK225 based on the little that we saw. I honestly was skeptical when they came out and said it was a Stirling. I have found numerous wrecked aircraft and all were very difficult to identify what type of aircraft it was. I have never personally seen tail numbers remaining on a wreck at sea. I know this happens in some cases, or in Hollywood, but I'm not so lucky. It usually takes a key piece of wreckage. In this case, the tail wheel served as just that to the experts. If they were correct in identifying the wreck as a Stirling, it only makes sense to be PK225 based on the other known downed Stirlings, where they flew, and where this flight originated and was intended to go (or return from). There are therefore only two ways to identify the specific aircraft. 1) Find something unique to PK225 within the wreckage (which is a monumental task and improbable considering the condition) or 2) with the wreckage in it's context historically and geographically, use process of elimination to gauge whether it is possible to eliminate the other craft which it could be. As for this one, we may have gotten lucky. Will it ever be conclusively proven? I doubt it. However, for the sake of the families of the crewmen who lost their lives on PK225, I hope it provides some answers and needed closure.
As for the site, it will be treated with respect as a war grave and left undisturbed. We have some operations in the area summer of '18 where I will likely check out some nearby targets. Perhaps those targets are related. We'll see.

Re: Downed Short Stirling recently found

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 5:27 pm
by WethersfieldRoss
A 299 Squadron Stirling, missing since November 27th 1944.

But as stated elsewhere there are a number of Stirling’s missing from Norwegian missions.

Has that wreck been formally identified yet?