Supporting VE Day 80 efforts to locate missing WWII Lancaster bomber
Maritime Archaeologist, Dr Katerina Velentza of the Energy and Environment Institute has been carrying out archival research in support of a significant search operation to locate a Lancaster Bomber that was lost in the Humber during WWII, led by the University of Southampton and Professor Fraser Sturt.
The plane crashed off the village of Paull on the 4th of January 1945 during a snowstorm. Despite initial recovery attempts, the aircraft and its crew were never recovered. Now, after more than 80 years, a dedicated team of experts from academia, industry, and heritage organisations have united in a complex, multi-disciplinary mission to locate the long-lost bomber.
Dr Katerina Velentza said, "It's been fascinating to delve into the archives and uncover first-hand accounts of the search operations at the site of the plane crash from 1945. It's also been a moving experience, as the lives of six young crew members were lost that day.
The project is initiated by the International Search & Recovery Team (ISRT), as part of VE Day 80, and is supported through the University of Southampton’s AHRC Impact Acceleration Account and the Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute. It brings together specialists from SAND Geophysics, Historic England, and the AHRC-funded Coastal and Inland Waters Heritage Science Facility.
Despite the unique expertise and state-of-the-art equipment involved in the survey, the team acknowledges the difficulties in locating the wreck of the plane after more than 80 years.
“This is an incredibly challenging environment,” said Evander Broekman of ISRT.
“The Humber estuary is dynamic, with strong tides, thick sediment, and decades of shifting geography. But with the collective knowledge and passion of this team, we believe this search can finally bring answers.”
And as Professor Sturt of the University of Southampton has stated, simply “the act of searching is an act of commemoration” of those lost.
The lost Lancaster crew were part of the 103 Squadron, which is credited with more operational sorties than any other No.1 Group RAF squadron, and consequently suffered the group's highest losses. Of the 248 bombers lost on operations flying from Elsham Wolds, 198 were from No. 103 Squadron. As part of the nation’s VE Day 80 commemorations, plans are also in place for a new memorial to the lost Lancaster crew, to serve not only as a place of reflection but as a beacon of enduring remembrance for future generations.
Header image: The Humber Estuary from above by Thomas Nugent