Merlin Engine on sea bed
Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 6:25 am
Just sitting this morning at breakfast looking at colour photos of what looks very much like a Merlin engine, 27.5 metres below me on the sea bed.
We are 18 km off the Norfolk coast and the sea bed survey is covered with UXOs (thanks to the US airforce shedding on return run I think). Any way, the ones we are going over get ID'd by ROV in case they are near or on the surface .
This one turns out to be an aircraft engine and the side we can see seems to have 6 cylinders, so could be a V12.
Anyway I think it could be a Merlin, what it was attached to is either rotted away or under the sand but there aren't any traces from survey. It could have been from a Lancaster, spitfire or more likely a Hurricane. I googled and even the Mustangs used them made by packard in the US. There is a bit of prop sticking out of the sand.
We don't disturb this as it is classed as an archeological site. We dont disturb the others as they can blow up. We are ploughing a furrow and laying a cable into it at the same time so it is important not to plough through a 1000lb bomb , well it is important for me!
Can't put a photo in (intellectual property or some such)
Still, wonder who was in control of that engine before it went down over 70 yrs ago.
We are 18 km off the Norfolk coast and the sea bed survey is covered with UXOs (thanks to the US airforce shedding on return run I think). Any way, the ones we are going over get ID'd by ROV in case they are near or on the surface .
This one turns out to be an aircraft engine and the side we can see seems to have 6 cylinders, so could be a V12.
Anyway I think it could be a Merlin, what it was attached to is either rotted away or under the sand but there aren't any traces from survey. It could have been from a Lancaster, spitfire or more likely a Hurricane. I googled and even the Mustangs used them made by packard in the US. There is a bit of prop sticking out of the sand.
We don't disturb this as it is classed as an archeological site. We dont disturb the others as they can blow up. We are ploughing a furrow and laying a cable into it at the same time so it is important not to plough through a 1000lb bomb , well it is important for me!
Can't put a photo in (intellectual property or some such)
Still, wonder who was in control of that engine before it went down over 70 yrs ago.