Historic Aircraft Wrecks as Archaeological Sites • RAAF PBY A24-1 • Blohm & Voss BV222 • Broome flying boats • FW 190 engine • The Bertram & Klausmann floatplane
• The Williamstown Vulteee Vengeance • Submerged aircraft wrecks in NSW • The Black Cats • Go to page two for more reports
1.
HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF
RAAF CATALINA FLYING BOAT A24-1
Silvano Jung. Posted August 2002
This
is the chronology and subsequent archaeological
research of Australia's first delivered Catalina flying boat,
carried out by Darwin based, Silvano Jung.
This important body of work covers A24-1's passage of events
from her manufacture, to the forlorn remains still visible today
in the mangrove swamps of Darwin's east Arm.
The wreck site of the Catalina flying boat known as A24-1 was
nominated in 1998 for the Northern Territory Register of Historic
Places and Objects, under the Northern Territory Heritage Act
1991. No decision has yet (August 2002) been made as to the
current status of this heritage place. It is said, however, that
the wreck site is still the property of the Commonwealth
Government of Australia.
All
photographs sourced or taken by Silvano Jung.
Above left: Catalina A-241 in the mid 1970's, beached amongst the
Mangroves in Darwin's East Arm.
This was just prior to Cyclone Tracy. Above right: The reamains of the
nose turret section today at low tide.
If
you would like the full report in 'Word' format, please Contact
us.
Part one = 1.8Mb illustrated throughout
Part two = 1.8Mb illustrated throughout
2.
STABILISATION OF ALUMINIUM ALLOYS
FROM AIRCRAFT WRECKS. IN PARTICULAR
A BLOHM & VOSS BV222.
Christian Degrigny. Posted August 2002
Ph.D., FIIC
Principal lecturer
Conservation Department
EVTEK Institute of Art and Design
Lummetie 2, 01300 Vantaa – Finland
Christian's CV
Metal artefacts recovered from marine or any other
underwater site are usually highly damaged due to the
corrosion processes taking place in the aqueous
environment. When lifted and left to dry outdoor these
artefacts are exposed to the aggressive action of both
the oxygen and the water of the atmosphere and new
corrosion processes occur. This corrosion is activated by
aggressive species contained in the materials such as
chlorides from the environment. An electrolytic stabilisation
treatment has been designed to extract these aggressive
species.
The protocol defined has been first applied in the 90s
on aircraft remains from Biscarrosse lake. Situated in the
South-West of France, this lake saw considerable use
between the two world wars for air traffic by seaplanes
between France and South America. During the 2nd
world war the Germans used the base and due to the
numerous attacks there, many wrecks both French and
German have been found. In particular a giant Luftwaffe
Blohm & Voss BV222.
CLICK HERE FOR CHRISTIAN'S RESEARCH PROJECT
Recovering and conserving
engines from the Blohm & Voss BV222 Flying Boat from Lake Biscarrosse
in France.
3.
LOCATING & ARCHAEOLOGY OF 15 WW2
FLYING BOATS IN ROEBUCK BAY, WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
Dr
Michael McCarthy
Curator
Maritime Archaeology Department
Western Australian Maritime Museum
March 1942 saw a devastating aerial attack on
the Western Ausralian Pearling town of Broome.
In a little under an hour, 18 allied flying boats
were sent to the bottom of Roebuck Bay. Little
did the Japanese commander know that these
aircraft carried hunderds of women and children.
Sfter a decade of work and rsearch, in 2001 the
WA Maritime Museum carried out a
non-disturbance assesment dive of the site.
Go
to the Broome raid website
'Zero Hour' This site was
also produced
by Jon Davison and Michael McCarthy.
The Zero hour' concept ultimately became an international
televison production called Bay of Fire. released in 2003
by Prospero Productions in conjunction with Discovery
Channel..
3b.
LEGISLATIVE PROTECTION
In
2002 the sites were nominated to the Heritage Council of
Western Australia for protecton under the terms of the 1990
Heritage Act.
CLICK
HERE FOR THE MUSEUM"S
NOMINATION OF
THE SITES: (223kb download) prepared, with the assistance
of Heritage Council staff by by M.McCarthy, assisted by
Jeremy Green, Silvano Jung and Corioli Souter.
See Macks paper
'Historic Aircraft Wrecks as Archaeological
Sites'
4.
STABILIZATION OF A SUBMERGED BMW 801 D2
ENGINE FROM A FOCKE-WULF 190
Christian Degrigny. Posted August 2002
In June 1944, allied forces shot down a Luftwaffe
Focke-Wulf 190 fighte over Francer. The aircraft
crashed in the Le Loiret River and remained there
for 45 years, until it was recovered in August 1990
by the Club Subaquatique d’Orléans (France).
It was then deposited in the Caen Memorial,
Museum for Peace.
This present a typical case of stabilization of an
aircraft engine following a prolonged period
underwater. Here we follow the story of the
conservation of a BMW 801 D2 twin row radial engine
as carried out by the Valectra Laboratory, who
developed a satisfactory treatment protocol in
the process.
CLICK HERE FOR CHRISTIAN'S REPORT
Left: The BMW 801
before conservation
5a.
BERTRAM & KLAUSMANN'S 'ATLANTIS' SEAPLANE FLOAT
By Dr Michael
(Mack) McCarthy.
This is a precis
of a story first presented by Scott Sledge, then of the WA
Maritime Museum
At midnight on 14/15 May 1932, German aviators Hans Bertram
and Adolph Klausmann set of from Timor in an open cockpit
Junkers seaplane (model JU W-33), named Atlantis, in order to
make the first night flight to Australia. Counting on breakfast at
Darwin, they carried no food or water.
Thev became disoriented during a violent storm over the Timor
Sea and force-landed out of fuel on the desolate Kimberley coast
the next day. The
two aviatiors were eventually resucued after
52 days (40 without food). During this time
they tried to sail out in a
converted float from their aircraft to no avail.
The float is now on display at the RAAF Aviation Museum in
Bull Creek, WA.
This is a report on the recovery of this float 46 years later.
5b.
CONSERVATION
& RESTORATION: BERTRAM & KLAUSMANN'S
'ATLANTIS' SEAPLANE FLOAT
Conservation and restoration of the float by Ian
MacLleod and the
restoration by David Gilroy.
CLICK
HERE FOR THE ATLANTIS STORY
CLICK HERE FOR IAN MACLEOD'S
CONSERVATION REPORT
Go to page two for more reports
