Lake Sebago ME Corsairs, small pic (link)

gregv · **Posted:** Sun Nov 29, 2009 3:56 pm

Found this on the Key Publishing forum, never heard of them before; the state of preservation looks amazing (small pic second page of thread), I might have to track down the Dec issue of Britain At War magazine to see more. From the magazine link it looks like they are "birdcage" models?:

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=95565

With all due respect to the pilots still within these airframes.

cheers

greg v.

TimAPNY · **Posted:** Sun Nov 29, 2009 6:03 pm

I've heard of these wrecks before, very cool to see some pictures. Stunning condition and a "Bird Cage" no less!

I also will be searching for a copy of this mag.

Tim

John Dupre · **Posted:** Sun Nov 29, 2009 9:32 pm

Those planes were based at Brunswick NAS which had its last P-3 Orions depart this week. The base will be fully closed in 2011, the last active duty military installation in New England and except for a brief period after WW2 in use for over 60 years.

I talked to someone once who claimed to have dived the site back in the 1970s. As I recall one aircraft is intact and the other pretty well broken up.

lmritger · **Posted:** Sun Nov 29, 2009 11:29 pm

Sweet Jeezus... :shock:

I remember Col. Rohr talking about these a few years back, and I sort of expected the same sort of barnacle-encrusted, vaguely Corsair-shaped remains we often see in these underwater discoveries... then I saw the attached pic in that thread.

I've seen currently airworthy aircraft which don't look that good. :shock:

That's almost- no, it definitely IS beyond belief. And the pilots remain in those aircraft, apparently... who's twisting what screws to keep those poor souls unrecovered and keep these incredibly rare aircraft entombed?

Lynn

tom d. friedman · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 12:42 am

ditto on finding an issue of the mag!!! question....... what mag?? big big big question...... where does the canadian government fit into the recovery effort as representatives of it's war dead. then throw in the u.s. navy's red tape squadron via pensacola because of lend lease. this will be 1 big cluster f**k for sure. i also feel the colonel has been some what vindicated with the concrete back up of his opinion.

gregv · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:29 am

Tom

per post #40 on the linked Key Pub. forum thread (by Andy Saunders), it is the December 2009 Issue 32 of "Britain At War"; I checked the excellent magazine store that I'm lucky enough to have close by, and they still have the October issue on the stands, so might be a while before I see this issue. Here's a link to the mag in question with another pic showing the birdcage:

http://www.britain-at-war-magazine.com/

greg v.

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:23 am

Thank goodness they're British! We actually have a chance at seeing them fly again!

BTW, whats the situation with the Australian Corsairs that were dumped off the coast at wars end? Besides being in a shark-infested, salt-water environment is there any large pile of these birds sitting on the ocean floor? Could they be salvaged or are they just a pile of parts now?

John Dupre · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:45 pm

I think the British Government treats any wreckage known to contain remains as war graves. I believe since the aircraft, even though lend lease, contain remains of British servicemen then that government retains control. I have no idea whether the British Gov. would be amenable to recovering the aircraft or if they were would they then revert to USN control. The British government has not always been reluctant to salvage war grave wrecks as some years ago they allowed salvage of some Battle of Jutland wrecks but I think it did cause a stink when it was discovered.

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

Those aircraft will never be raised, if the British government has anything to say about it. They ARE treated as war graves and as such, will not be disturbed.

Warbird Kid · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:05 pm

I thought they would be interested in recovering there servicemen?

warbird1 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:25 pm **Posts:** 2760

Warbird Kid wrote:

I thought they would be interested in recovering there servicemen?

Nope, definitely not the case. Since the aircraft are considered "war graves", they would rather leave them in situ.

airnutz · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:30 pm

warbird1 wrote:

Warbird Kid wrote:

I thought they would be interested in recovering there servicemen?

Nope, definitely not the case. Since the aircraft are considered "war graves", they would rather leave them in situ.

That is classicly the official response in the past...."war graves"-no touchy, but there was an element of "cost to recover" which seemed to be a factor. As mentioned on the Key forum by some members, there is talk of "shaming" the Ministry of Defense by lobbying the MOD into reversing that stand. The government could escape any costs by allowing a private firm to recover the fallen servicemen and be bequeathed the aircraft as compensation. These days hiding behind the curtain of "cost to recover" as a major factor is diminished. The technology is practicle and the rarity of the aircraft is a feasable motivation.( In this particular case., IMO)

Of course, I'm not forgeting some folks get really "wrapped round the axle" with the "war grave" issue and there is no compromise. :wink:

airnutz · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 4:33 pm

Warbird Kid wrote:

Thank goodness they're British! We actually have a chance at seeing them fly again!

BTW, whats the situation with the Australian Corsairs that were dumped off the coast at wars end? Could they be salvaged or are they just a pile of parts now?

They are giant alkaseltzer tabs now Kid...pity.

airmanual · **Joined:** Thu Nov 04, 2004 6:32 am **Posts:** 240

warbird1 wrote:

Those aircraft will never be raised, if the British government has anything to say about it. They ARE treated as war graves and as such, will not be disturbed.

Are you sure ? There have been hundreds of RAF wrecks digged all over Europe in the past decades, many of them "logically" fatal for the crew members(s).

airnutz · **Posted:** Mon Nov 30, 2009 5:00 pm

airmanual wrote:

warbird1 wrote:

Those aircraft will never be raised, if the British government has anything to say about it. They ARE treated as war graves and as such, will not be disturbed.

Are you sure ? There have been hundreds of RAF wrecks digged all over Europe in the past decades, many of them "logically" fatal for the crew members(s).

That is my point too, Airmanual. As well as, in one breath the proponents of sanctity of the "war grave" are basicly saying, that all military aircraft where a service member died in the aircraft never returned to service.

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Lake Sebago ME Corsairs, small pic (link)

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