Wild seas which lashed the coast of South East Cornwall at the end of last month have revealed the remains of a World War Two American Flying Fortress bomber ditched off Seaton in 1944. An engine from the giant B17 suddenly appeared at low water among rocks at Millendreath just along to the coast from Looe, discovered by a ten-year-old boy on a diving holiday with his father and elder brother. Dick Barrie and sons Thomas and 13-year-old Sam, from Northampton, made for the East Looe Town Trust Museum in the Old Guildhall where they gave the news to curator Barbara Birchwood-Harper and her husband Neil. Mr Birchwood-Harper said: 'They came in dancing with excitement and said they thought they had found part of a German aircraft, because it had a rotary engine and we know that one did crash in Looe Bay. 'But, with expert help, we have been able to establish it was a B17 which ditched into the sea on March 20 1944.' Even more exciting is the possibility that the American pilot, Lt Robert J. Dennisen, may still be alive, although now well into his 80s. Mr Barrie, a hobby diver who is teaching the skill to his Sea Cadet sons, has just written to an address in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where it is thought Mr Dennisen may live, and is hoping for a swift reply. Mr Birchwood-Harper, a retired master mariner, added: 'If he is alive it would be wonderful. His log book would contain the reasons behind the ditching, and why he was so far from his base at Snetterton Heath in Norfolk.' The B17 was certainly well off course, having returned from a bombing raid over Germany. Lost, almost out of fuel, and possibly damaged, records show Lt Dennisen told the nine other members of his crew to bail out 'at Liskeard near Newquay airdrome'. 'Lt Dennisen then took his aircraft out over the water and bailed out and was picked up with air-sea rescue help.' He was taken to hospital suffering from exposure, and two other members of the crew were also hospitalised, although they all lived. It seems that Lt Dennisen was determined to remain at the controls, steering his aircraft away from Cornwall, where it could have crashed at the possible cost of many lives. Some years ago a propeller and machine gun from the Flying Fortress were recovered and displayed at Millendreath holiday village, although they have since disappeared. Tomorrow (Sat) an attempt will be made at low tide to recover the latest find with equipment provided by Jim Rothwell, of Looe. The owner of Millendreath beach has given his permission for the operation to go ahead, and it is being supported by the East Looe Town Trust. Mr Barrie and his sons are returning from Northampton to witness the attempt, and attend the Remembrance Service at Looe war memorial the next day. Although the engine is still technically the property of the USAAF, Mrs BIrchwood-Harper is hoping they will give permission for it to be displayed at the museum in Looe. She is also going to the Cornwall Records Office in Truro, where it should be possible to find the police report on the crash 60 years ago. The objective is to trace the fuselage, thought to rest about a mile out to sea off Seaton. The Birchwood-Harpers are also hoping to hear from anyone who can add to the information file they are building up about the crash of the Flying Fortress 60 years ago.
