Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) posted a story update on Support the Recovery and Restoration of a RCAF Halifax Bomber

Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) Posted an update on Support the Recovery and Restoration of a RCAF Halifax Bomber

Story update Aug 15, 2021

Halifax Pilgrimage #8 (HP 8)

August 12A, 2021

Hi everyone, well another Halifax salvage day on Thursday with slow successes and complications but pressing on!

When we lifted the Halifax intermediate wing our airlift bag would not hold it and it dropped to the bottom somewhere in “SVEN Jones locker” a distance from the ship.

But never fear RIK is here!. RIK is the SCSC mini- sub ROV brought along by Erik Skog that day , see RIK in first photo with his long yellow leash. Then in the next images RIK launched and went out under that water with Gustav paying out the line while Erik was at the control panel and TV screen.

Like a good hunting dog RIK picked up the scent of the Halifax, he Said it was much more pleasant smell than Lancasters, and within 15 minutes had visual contact with our lost treasure. Finally the intermediate wing pieces were loaded on deck at 10 pm last night and unloaded on the dock at midnight!

Water pipes and hose clamps are proving to be little saboteur bastards to this operation but it is OK, we are used to hardships.

So today could’ be our final day of salvage- - going after flaps ailerons rudders elevators still out there, Weather forecast bad for Sat Sun but will make decision in about 8 hours for more salvage or not.

Will advise - hang on to your hats, Later, K

WE LEAVE NO HALIFAX BEHIND

But wait, there's MORE!

Halifax Pilgrim #9 (HP9)

August 14, 2021

Hi everyone, well we finished the underwater diving on Friday late, at about 930 pm, back in port late at 1130 pm! , after fighting all day with rising winds, bigger waves, and the bloody water pumping system giving us hell, to remove sand around our Halifax parts buried in the sand.

The trouble with the pumping system was not Jackie, our diesel pump, it was the water lines - joints and SUE our sand vacuum device. Several times we had to stop removing sand due to rocks and debris getting INSIDE the vacuum head and blocking the venturi mechanism to suck sand away.

Tedious work at best but we just could not move enough sand to extricate the flaps, ailerons and horizontal stabilizers we found and really wanted to bring up before the really bad weather blew in.

SEE the first Friday VIDEO of the discovery of a whole large collection of inner and outer Halifax flaps and ailerons and airframe components by team member Kamilla Rejgård, good shooting Kamilla

See also the still photos of the flaps and ailerons embedded in the sand which we tried so hard to get out of the sand but SUE gave us trouble all day and it cost us a lot of time.

But Gustav and I had to make a joint command decision that if we could not dig out these components by 8 pm on Friday we would have to call the project finished, FOR NOW!

We are greatly heartened and pleased by the condition of the aluminium and steel components we recovered and uncovered with minimal corrosion on skin, ribs, and machined parts. This Baltic Sea location is almost a fresh water lake, AT THIS LOCATION , with not much salt at all. The proof was in our RCAF pudding, Halifax HR871, a useful airframe is still here!

So on Saturday and Sunday we will, while the wind howls, be processing and cleaning the intermediate wing parts we recovered with all those good wing joints still intact.

This bodes well for future use in our Halifax bomber rebuild at Knox Tech for the Bomber Command Museum.

I had sneak peak at those fittings and they are good.!

Have a look at the 1st CTV interview. Click below:

Canadian history being recovered off the coast of Sweden | CTV News

Also, another CTV interview possible and another internet interview coming up so will advise you on the next "Halifax Pilgrims" report, stay tuned you guys!

WE LEAVE NO HALIFAX BEHIND.

Cheers, KK - Halifax 57 Rescue and Bomber Command Museum of Canada in NANTON, Alberta

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Support the Recovery and Restoration of a RCAF Halifax Bomber
by Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada)

$194,398 raised
764 contributors
9 years running

Halifax 57 Rescue is an aircraft recovery group that has recovered RCAF Halifax HR871, with our partners Swedish Coast and Sea Center and Havsresan of Sweden, from the Baltic Sea for a Halifax for the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta.

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