Archaeology isn’t limited to ancient ruins or dusty artifacts.
Sometimes, history lies quietly beneath the waves, preserved in the depths until it’s rediscovered.
For divers, each exploration offers the chance to uncover a piece of the past, as was the case off Norfolk’s coast in England.
Here, a remarkable piece of World War II history has come to light after more than 80 years.
All Crew Members Survived
Rob Spray, chairman of the Marine Conservation for Norfolk Action Group, was diving near the village of Salthouse when he made the discovery.
“I was scanning the seabed when this appeared out of the murky water,” Spray told the BBC according to Historienet.
What he found was an engine and propeller from a Handley Page Hampden bomber, a two-engine aircraft used by the Royal Air Force during the war.
The bomber had crashed into the sea on September 1, 1940, after running out of fuel during a return mission from Berlin.
The four-man crew had flown for 9.5 hours, desperately trying to lighten the plane by dumping ammunition into the sea.
Despite their efforts, they couldn’t make it back to land and were forced to crash-land in the water. Amazingly, all four crew members survived.
The Handley Page Hampden, nicknamed the “Flying Suitcase” for its compact design, played a vital role in Britain’s early bombing campaigns. It was part of a pivotal mission targeting Berlin on August 31, 1940, at the height of the Blitz.
Spray’s find revealed just one engine, as research uncovered that the other engine had been salvaged in 1975. Old newspaper archives confirmed its earlier recovery.
