Downed WWII Lancaster Bomber Raised from Sea Floor

The British heavy bomber was shot down in Holland following an air raid over Germany in 1943.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, November 10, 2023 at 05:10 PM ET

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An aerial view of the cofferdam built for the recovery of British Lancaster bomber ED603 [Courtesy: Royal Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The wreckage of WWII British bomber Avro Lancaster ED603 and human remains of its crew have been recovered from the sea floor, eight decades after it was shot down over the Netherlands.
The recovery mission, a joint effort by the RAF and Dutch Air Force, is part of a 15 million euros Dutch project to locate downed aircraft and crew, primarily aiming to find missing airmen and provide closure for their families.
While some crew members were identified shortly after the 1943 crash, the recent painstaking operation successfully located human remains, which are now undergoing detailed identification.

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The remains of Avro Lancaster ED603 and several of its crewmembers have been recovered from the sea floor, eight decades after the British heavy bomber was shot down during World War II while returning to the U.K. following an air raid over Germany, the Royal Air Force has announced.

Avro Lancaster [Courtesy: Royal Air Force]

The recovery mission was conducted by the RAF’s Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transport Squadron (JARTS) and Dutch Air Force counterparts. It is part of a 15 million euros ($16.026 million) Dutch aircraft recovery project to locate aircraft and crew downed across Holland.