Unrecovered aircraft? - Sri Lanka / Ceylon

[DragonflyDH90]

I'm doing a little thinking of Sri Lanka / Ceylon and wondered if there had ever been any interesting finds from that area.

Does anyone know of any aircraft wrecks in the area at all or even rumours? Have any been recovered in the past?

It was a very active area with large seaplane base, naval base and several land based airfields.

Just wondered.

[Dave Homewood]

There must be potential considering there was a lot of wartime activity there in Ceylon with the major airfield at China Bay (Trincomalee), and another major airfield at Ratmalana. Plus there were other strips around the contry too.

The British Eastern Fleet was based there till shortly after the major attack on the island by the Japanese fleet on the 25th of April 1942, which did a lot of damage. The fleet withdrew to east Africa for a couple of year, but there wer4e still Fleet Air Arm and RAF units in Ceylon through the war. A pilot I know in hamilton was based there and flew Vildebeests, Swordfish, Fulmars and Fairey Seafox on patrols and then numerous types including Walrus as a pilot with a maintenance unit from there before being posted to India.

I think we had a discussion recently about the potential of wrecks in Ceylon on the FlyPast Forum.

It is actually one country I'd really like to visit. Now that their civil war is over it would be a good time too.

[Dave Homewood]

Another airfield in Ceylon used by the RAF was Minneriya.

[kiwiwreckdiver]

Like many of the the asiatic countries, the locals are very efficient at recycling many metal parts to melt down and make as trinkets to sell or use in every day housing parts, un like the jungles of PNG where everything was left to rot.
BUT you never know whats been buried or sitting in a jungle on a mountain clearing some where.

[davidd]

Perhaps all those upland resevoirs could be checked for all the force-landed Walrus ampbibians from WW2 that are detailed on the Navy Board!
Bound to be lots of them sitting in the mud on the bottom!
David D

[Dave Homewood]

I wonder if there might be any wrecks in the jungles of India still yet to find? India saw a lot of flying by the RAF and the USAAF too, with squadrons supporting the Burma campaign, and the supply route to China, and of course many maintenance and training units there too. There could still be wrecks hidden in parts of that massive country I guess.

[Naki]

I had some relations visit Thurday Island (noth of Australia off Cape York) recently. They showed me some pics of WW2 aircraft wrecks there but I couldn't identify them...maybe a Beaufort? Does anybody know what they would be?

[The Red Baron]

www.australiantraveller.com/post/the-battle-for-australia-rumours-rogues-relics/.....DC-3 and beauforts,but just wreckage by the looks of the photos.

[Naki]

ok thanks RB..I should of found it myself..sort of relevant to this thread in any case

[ngatimozart]

A wiki on Truscott Airbase in the Kimberley with remains of a B24 wreck, bomb fins copule of crashed Spits and a Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-46-II "Dinah" aircraft shot down close by. Another link: www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/australia/truscott/index.html