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The programmes
For 50 years a wrecked aircraft lay unrecorded and undisturbed in Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven. Last year, fishermen and members of Celtic Divers BSAC club discovered it while recovering lobster pots. Excited historians suggested that this underwater discovery could be the oldest surviving Sunderland Mark I flying boat in the world. The Wreck Detectives team headed out to Pembroke Dock with flying boat experts, including a former Sunderland crewman, to find out how it sank and determine if it was in fact one of the most important aircraft wrecks in the UK.
The history
In the 1920s and 30s, when the development of large airliners was underway, runway sites suitable for such big planes were difficult to find. As there was already an infrastructure of ports and docks in place, the airlines decided to make use of these and design planes that could land on water. By the time the Second World War broke out in 1939, flying boats had become part of the luxury travel market, ferrying rich passengers all over the world.
During the Second World War, this particular design of aircraft came into its own. The chief role of the planes was tracking enemy shipping; but they also carried a heavy armament – 900 kilograms of bombs, mines and depth charges – that they would readily use if they spotted a German submarine. The planes also proved their worth in the rescue of crews from torpedoed ships. But the battle of the Atlantic witnessed many losses, as some 200 flying boats were sunk and more than 500 crewmen were killed.
Sunderlands were a common site at Pembroke Dock during the war, as the dock was home to the largest flying boat station in the world, with over 100 aircraft in the water. Many lay wrecked in and around Pembroke Dock and some, like the one being investigated by our Wreck Detectives, were never recovered or even located. Records of lost planes in the area show that this particular aircraft could have been one of four types of Sunderland.
The dive
Because of the flying boats' armament load, our Wreck Detectives had to get the all-clear from a team of navy divers before they could get in the water to explore the wreck. The team had a nail-biting time while they waited to hear if it was safe to dive or not. The navy divers were sure there were no explosive devices on the site that could pose a threat to the dive team.
The fine silt covering the site needed only a slight touch of a fin to produce a murky cloud that could reduce visibility from 4 metres to zero in moments, so our divers had to battle hard to find their way around. Diving with umbilical cords on a wreck site such as this in poor visibility means that there's always a danger of becoming entangled. This became a real problem on the first dive for presenter Miranda; she was called back to the surface unaware that her umbilical had wound around the shot line (a weighted line running down to the wreck and held at the surface by a buoy, used as a reference point by divers).
To help orientate the divers and to make sure they wouldn't miss anything vital, a remotely operated sonar scanner was brought in to study the site. This beamed back pictures to a computer on the boat and produced a 3D image of what lay on the seabed. Once the team had a scan of the wreck site, Miranda led the way to the 6-foot propellers to find any clues as to why the craft sank.
The next mission was to locate at least one of the engines on the plane, which were heavily buried in silt. The team wanted to see if it was possible to bring one up to the surface for aircraft identification purposes and for display in a museum. Following a successful week's diving, it was all down to a 7-tonne crane to pull an engine from the silt and help close the investigation. An engine was successfully raised and an examination of it on land showed that the aircraft was indeed a Mark I Sunderland, number T9044, one of the 75 Mark I planes that were built. Records show that the moored aircraft went down during an 80 mile an hour gale.
Since the Wreck Detectives exploration dives on the Sunderland, Milford Haven Port Authority has placed a 100-metre exclusion zone around the site. Fishing here is now prohibited and those wishing to dive it must apply for a license from the Port Authority. The wreck lies between 16 and 18 metres, which makes it suitable for divers of all levels. It's in surprisingly good condition – the whole of the fuselage (the main body of the plane) is intact right back to the mid-section of the tail. Halfway down, the tail fin has broken, but the rear turret remains fully intact. Other wreckage is scattered around the fuselage, including its remaining engines. There is not much life growing on the structure because of the shifting silt, but shoals of fish seek haven around and inside the wreck.
Find out more about the wreck of the Sunderland.
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Location
Pembroke Dock, Milford Haven
Dive planning
Diving in this area is hazardous because of heavy shipping traffic, so it's important to seek permission before heading out on to the water.
Useful contacts
Milford Haven Port Authority:
01646 696100
Milford Haven is a trust port – an independent, commercially run organisation with statutory responsibility to both government and its stakeholders.
Pembroke Dock Museum Trust:
01646 622246
The Sunderland's recovered engine is on display here.
Dive Pembrokeshire UK:
01437 781117
Dive Wales
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