A German second world war bomber salvaged from the English Channel is being restored at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford in Shropshire, before going on show at the RAF Museum in Hendon, north London.
The last surviving Dornier Do 17 was removed from the sea bed off the Kent coast last week.
The aircraft, which was shot down during the Battle of Britain, was raised in one piece using special equipment.
The original plan, which involved building an aluminium cage around the plane, was abandoned because of cost issues.
The £600,000 project has been funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, which provided £345,000, and various donors including the WarGaming.net games website and the RAF Museum American Foundation.
The aircraft will be doused in citric acid to prevent further corrosion, and placed in two hydration tunnels, as part of the complex conservation process overseen by specialists from Imperial College London.
Don Caldwell, a US-based expert on the Luftwaffe, said: “This is a significant development for British museums: a documented Battle of Britain artefact – the last remaining example of the type.”
The aircraft is expected to go on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon within the next couple of years.
Update
18.06.2013
We said the Dornier was a first world war bomber. It is, of course, a second world war bomber.
The last surviving Dornier Do 17 was removed from the sea bed off the Kent coast last week.
The aircraft, which was shot down during the Battle of Britain, was raised in one piece using special equipment.
The original plan, which involved building an aluminium cage around the plane, was abandoned because of cost issues.
The £600,000 project has been funded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, which provided £345,000, and various donors including the WarGaming.net games website and the RAF Museum American Foundation.
The aircraft will be doused in citric acid to prevent further corrosion, and placed in two hydration tunnels, as part of the complex conservation process overseen by specialists from Imperial College London.
Don Caldwell, a US-based expert on the Luftwaffe, said: “This is a significant development for British museums: a documented Battle of Britain artefact – the last remaining example of the type.”
The aircraft is expected to go on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon within the next couple of years.
Update
18.06.2013
We said the Dornier was a first world war bomber. It is, of course, a second world war bomber.