Flying Boat T9044 - Dive Group needs a Lift

Aim

Our Dive Group has an urgent need of a new engine to carry out a detailed survey, this year, on sunken WWII Sunderland Flying Boat T9044.

The Pembroke Dock Sunderland Dive Group is a community group run entirely by volunteers. We are a group registered with BSAC - British Sub Aqua Club, started nearly 10 years ago. We have a formal constitution, pay monthly membership fees  and have an independent bank account.

Much of our time is devoted to the wreck of 'T9044'.

75 years ago, the wartime Sunderland Flying Boat, T9044, sank during a violent storm that hit the Milford Haven Waterway. The long term goal is to recover as much as we can of this remarkable aircraft - the only remaining Mark 1 Sunderland in the world.

This appeal supports the Dive Group whose current engine has failed and is beyond confident safe repair. We need to raise £9,900 as soon as possible in order to carry out this season's vital work.

This iconic aircraft flew 14 missions for RAF Coastal Command protecting vital convoys from the menace of German U-Boats. The convoys were delivering lifesaving aid and supplies to our shores and the Sunderland squadrons of Coastal Command were a key component in our national defences.

T9044 was rediscovered ten years ago by founder members of the Pembroke Dock Sunderland Dive Group – a great group of volunteers. Many relics and artefacts have been recovered from the wreck including propellors, engines, many components and a rare front turret machine gun. These are being restored by workshop volunteers and are on display in the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre.

The bulk of the aircraft remains 15 metres down on shifting sand and close to a deep water channel.

The new engine will enable the the Group to carry out a detailed survey of the aircraft helping us bring this iconic aircraft 'back to life' if not physically but certainly as a state of the art virtual museum.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the loss of T9044 the Pembroke Dock Sunderland Dive Group want to investigate how we can recover the substantial airframe components that will provide the core of an absorbing and enthralling exhibition. You will be helping everyone to appreciate the work and bravery of the Coastal Command aircrew.

It will take two or three years to assemble the resources and data needed to make any substantial lift, however, the first phase is to carry out this well-managed and detailed survey of the wreck this year.

The Dive Group have the skills and enthusiasm to do this work but are currently in desperate need of a new outboard engine to power their operations this season.

Help the Group do their stuff and you can be part of something exciting, intriguing and permanent.

Join us today and we promise to keep in touch, updated and even invited to view the action. Everyone who contributes will be rewarded for their support.

Time and tide wait for no-one, and certainly not T9044.

Make a difference, make it happen and be part of something big.

This project closed unsuccessfully on 29th August 2016