Buried Treasure
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Buried Treasure
Seem to remember tales of a German WW2 airfield with aircraft hangared in tunnels in a nearby mountain that had the tunnels blocked up by bombing. Is this fact or fantasy, and if fact has anyone ever tried to reach the treasures that must be entombed there?
Gnome de PPRuNe
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I remember hearing a similar rumour as well, but sadly I think it's just that - like the Stirling and two Lancs found in reasonable condition in Russia somewhere...
But I do hope I'm wrong!
But I do hope I'm wrong!
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Like the Japanese aircraft hidden in tunnels in Rabaul (PNG), the Natzi gold in a lake in Germany, the Spitfires buried in New South Wales, the new aircraft dumped in a water filled coal mine at Archerfield in Brisbane............
Ah, the war stories.........
Ah, the war stories.........
Gnome de PPRuNe
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...and the Syrian late Mk Spitfires... mind you they actually MAY exist!
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Oh well, it was worth a rty.
I do remember a true tale - at least, I believe it to be true - of a great lakes freighter that sank in a storm carrying a couple of dozen crated and inhibited Mustangs for onward shipment to Europe. Lake Erie I should think. The source, many years ago, was a guy who was quite senior in the lakes management authority and was utterly reliable. He did not know the exact location and was understandably cagey about giving details - the boat had vanished in a storm and might be a war grave, but thought that as the water is fresh and totally anoxic at depth that there was an excellent chance that the aircraft would be in as new condition.
Wow!
I do remember a true tale - at least, I believe it to be true - of a great lakes freighter that sank in a storm carrying a couple of dozen crated and inhibited Mustangs for onward shipment to Europe. Lake Erie I should think. The source, many years ago, was a guy who was quite senior in the lakes management authority and was utterly reliable. He did not know the exact location and was understandably cagey about giving details - the boat had vanished in a storm and might be a war grave, but thought that as the water is fresh and totally anoxic at depth that there was an excellent chance that the aircraft would be in as new condition.
Wow!
Gnome de PPRuNe
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Well, the US Navy certainly pulled a number of Dauntlesses, Wildcats and the like from Lake Michigan which were in quite good condition. Saw a couple, one of which was unrestored and looked quite remarkable. They'd ditched while using the training carriers.
Unfortuantely there has been some dispute between the USN and private individuals who have tried to do the same.
There were other stories about various aircraft discarded from carriers off Australia near the GBR which were alleged to be in good nick... that one seemed to fizzle out as well - anyone know more?
Unfortuantely there has been some dispute between the USN and private individuals who have tried to do the same.
There were other stories about various aircraft discarded from carriers off Australia near the GBR which were alleged to be in good nick... that one seemed to fizzle out as well - anyone know more?
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I guess a Barracuda would be the perfect corporate plane...for a lawyer.
What happened to that (those?) buried Lancaster in England that they found a few years ago. It was sitting there with the wings off and underneath it, covered up with dirt, just like someone was planning on coming back after the war and nicking it, or maybe it just made the paperwork easier.
What happened to that (those?) buried Lancaster in England that they found a few years ago. It was sitting there with the wings off and underneath it, covered up with dirt, just like someone was planning on coming back after the war and nicking it, or maybe it just made the paperwork easier.
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Treadie.
"There were other stories about various aircraft discarded from carriers off Australia near the GBR which were alleged to be in good nick... that one seemed to fizzle out as well - anyone know more?"
No legend at all. They are well south of the Reef and not far north of Brisbane, not far off the coast. The local commercial fishermen curse the day some Royal Navy bureaucratic idiot dumped the many aircraft overboard. They have now disintegrated in the salt water and various bits and pieces are regularly recovered in commercial fishing nets - with the usual net damage.
See here for further details. The story suggests "Scores of Voight-Sikorsky F4U-1D Corsairs, F6F Hellcats, a Fairy Barracuda, at least 12 Seafires, several TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, AT6 Harvards and Supermarine Otter seaplanes were dumped" although I suspect the numbers may have increased with the passage of time!
This site suggests "...some 23,000 tons of ammunition had been dumped by the Department of Supply (former suppliers for the forces) off the North Queensland coast."
"There were other stories about various aircraft discarded from carriers off Australia near the GBR which were alleged to be in good nick... that one seemed to fizzle out as well - anyone know more?"
No legend at all. They are well south of the Reef and not far north of Brisbane, not far off the coast. The local commercial fishermen curse the day some Royal Navy bureaucratic idiot dumped the many aircraft overboard. They have now disintegrated in the salt water and various bits and pieces are regularly recovered in commercial fishing nets - with the usual net damage.
See here for further details. The story suggests "Scores of Voight-Sikorsky F4U-1D Corsairs, F6F Hellcats, a Fairy Barracuda, at least 12 Seafires, several TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, AT6 Harvards and Supermarine Otter seaplanes were dumped" although I suspect the numbers may have increased with the passage of time!
This site suggests "...some 23,000 tons of ammunition had been dumped by the Department of Supply (former suppliers for the forces) off the North Queensland coast."
ump them over the side!
Onan I seem to recall that when they attempted to recover the Lancasters they had been completely crushed due to the weight of soil ploughed over them. They looked good in the sonar scan but in reality were only fit for scrap.
Hi all
With regard to the remarks about buried treasure, wasn't there a story going about a unit of German tanks kept in a tunnel under Berlin, for Hitler's final offensive. Supposedly, builders found the tunnel during clearup work after the war and filled it in rather than delay the rebuilding. Also, the line about angry fishermen certainly rings true over here. Fishermen in the North kept picking up ordnance in their nets well South of the proper dumping areas.Turned out that the Navy lads going out on a dumping run on a Friday used to go out just far enough that they'd be back by early evening instead of nearly midnight.The munitions, including smoke/incendiary rounds, had become unstable over the years and very sometimes exploding or else giving off nasty vapours when hauled on deck...
regards
TDD
With regard to the remarks about buried treasure, wasn't there a story going about a unit of German tanks kept in a tunnel under Berlin, for Hitler's final offensive. Supposedly, builders found the tunnel during clearup work after the war and filled it in rather than delay the rebuilding. Also, the line about angry fishermen certainly rings true over here. Fishermen in the North kept picking up ordnance in their nets well South of the proper dumping areas.Turned out that the Navy lads going out on a dumping run on a Friday used to go out just far enough that they'd be back by early evening instead of nearly midnight.The munitions, including smoke/incendiary rounds, had become unstable over the years and very sometimes exploding or else giving off nasty vapours when hauled on deck...
regards
TDD
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I would imagine there's still all sorts of stuff buried.
There was a cache of Luftwaffe aero engines unearthed at Frankfurt Main airport a few years ago, some of which I believe have either been fitted to airworthy aircraft or have to the potential to be. We pulled a load of bits out of the ground in a UK scrapyard which went towards an airworthy restoration. And also just a few years ago an FW190 was found buried under the remains of an ex Luftwaffe and Soviet Air Force hangar in eastern Germany.
There's lots of stuff out there, you just have to know where to look, and what for.
There was a cache of Luftwaffe aero engines unearthed at Frankfurt Main airport a few years ago, some of which I believe have either been fitted to airworthy aircraft or have to the potential to be. We pulled a load of bits out of the ground in a UK scrapyard which went towards an airworthy restoration. And also just a few years ago an FW190 was found buried under the remains of an ex Luftwaffe and Soviet Air Force hangar in eastern Germany.
There's lots of stuff out there, you just have to know where to look, and what for.
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I wonder then, if in a thousand years finding someting like that 190 would be the same as us finding King Tuten kkhamen's tomb, or the fossil of an archyopteryx, or perhaps the Mary Rose.
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Hmmm, I should bloody well hope so, but then again...
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There is nothing "former" about Tern Hill. It's still a very busy little airfield, even if the Army has the domestic site. Rumour has it that when CFS left in 1976 that lots of spares and tools were consigned to a very big hole. A few years back the RAF carried out environmental surveys on all their airfields looking for evidence of aircraft graveyards, but they kept very quiet about the results. Freedom of Information Act anyone?
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Would be surprised if in 1976 they buried a load of gear - seeing as they moved only 7 miles or so down the road! Could have loaded it into the Whirlwinds that did the mass flypast I believe. Great airfield tho - did my very first solo there in a Venture T2!
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Perhaps they didnt report anyhting because there was....nothing to report.
Besides, metal being burried does not survive that long. If they did find something, writing a report about "various unidentifyable bits of metal, crushed and corroded" would not make very interetsing reading. Probably best if the order said "report anyhting worth writing about"
Its a dream we all have: a long-forgotten pre-war car in a barn, a Ferrari left in the garage of a new house, whose owner didnt have the key and whose previous owner had died intestate, an underground mine full of old steam locomotives, or a forgotten hangar full of Mk1 Spitfires/ Mosquitos/Lancasters or one each of Halifax/Hampden/ Wellington/Whitley plus a few zero-rated Merlin engines, still in protective oil, and a few other interetsing things.
It would be wonderful but, alas it is very unlikely. But like you (and everyone on here) I live in hope!
Besides, metal being burried does not survive that long. If they did find something, writing a report about "various unidentifyable bits of metal, crushed and corroded" would not make very interetsing reading. Probably best if the order said "report anyhting worth writing about"
Its a dream we all have: a long-forgotten pre-war car in a barn, a Ferrari left in the garage of a new house, whose owner didnt have the key and whose previous owner had died intestate, an underground mine full of old steam locomotives, or a forgotten hangar full of Mk1 Spitfires/ Mosquitos/Lancasters or one each of Halifax/Hampden/ Wellington/Whitley plus a few zero-rated Merlin engines, still in protective oil, and a few other interetsing things.
It would be wonderful but, alas it is very unlikely. But like you (and everyone on here) I live in hope!