National Geographic
The Stoney Cove Wessex
Introduction
Wessex helicopter XT768 was almost in flying condition when it was lowered to the bottom of the UK’s inland water dive centre at Stoney Cove. The helicopter had been procured from the Royal Air Force after some 700 flying hours and had been stripped of essential parts for aircraft still in service but was still virtually intact. Sadly however, visiting divers have stripped the aircraft of everything removable leaving a virtual shell. An investigative dive on 15 June 2008 revealed in detail the condition of the aircraft.
Location
The Wessex location is unmarked on the surface but the easiest way to reach it is to swim 170 degrees from the ‘Bus Stop’ entry point and continue on this bearing. The depth is around 7m until suddenly it drops down the steep north cliff to approximately 22m. Remain on the bearing of 170 degrees and the Wessex is situated a few metres south of the cliff face.
Seabed Composition & Debris
The floor surrounding the Wessex is composed mainly of soft mud and silt although there are patches of small rocks/boulders on the aircrafts forward port side. Stones can also be seen around the starboard wheel (Photo E of this report). Immediately to the NE of the aircraft are large boulders which form the start of the north cliff face. Debris surrounding the Wessex includes several lumps of wood, the cockpit door, metal piping and a steel access ladder on the starboard side and a cockpit door, wiring, cables and metal piping on the port side. Directly north of the tail lies 2 structures that has the appearance of scaffolding (Graphic 1).
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Structure A is the most westerly structure and measures 9.48m x 0.76m.
Structure B is more deteriorated than A and measures 7.9m x 0.76m.
These structures were not part of the Wessex. The hollow steel tubing was assessed to be unsuitable to support heavy weight so they were possibly used to guide the aircraft into position. |
Recordings, Measurements & Dimensions
Air temperature was warm and water temperature during both dives was recorded as 14 degrees Celsius on the surface and 10 degrees Celsius on the aircraft. A thermocline was recorded at 11m and again at 16m. Duration time for dive 1 was 46 minutes and dive 2 was 45 minutes.
Various measurements of the Wessex were taken and have been entered in the table below.
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Dimension |
Result |
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Aircraft orientation |
190 degrees |
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Maximum depth to seabed |
21m (68ft 9in) |
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Seabed to top of fuselage |
3m (9ft 8in) |
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Wheel to wheel width |
3.47m (11ft 4in) |
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Length from tail to nose |
13.7m (45ft) |
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Tip of tail to seabed |
4.3m (14ft 1 in) |
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Surface to tip of tail |
15.8m (51ft 8in) |
Aircraft Structure
The Wessex sits upright on a slight gradient; the forward section is deepest at 21m while the tail wheel sits in approximately 19.5m. The overall structure is in a condition of advanced deterioration, largely down to visiting divers stripping the aircraft over a long period of time. Photo’s A, B & C show the condition of the tail section.
- Photo A: Side view. The rotor blades were removed before entry into the water.
- Photo B: Starboard tail rotor ‘DANGER’ warning
- Photo C: Front view. Tail section interior now fully exposed.
Photo’s D, E & F concentrate on the condition of the aircraft wheels.
- Photo D: Starboard wheel support leg is undamaged and capable of sustaining aircraft weight. Port wheel support leg is in a similar condition.
- Photo E: Starboard wheel and tyre. The rubber tyre has deteriorated massively. Port wheel and tyre is in same condition.
- Photo F: Tail wheel is largely intact but the tyre is deflated and coveredwith marine growth and silt.
Photo’s G, H, I, J K, L, M, N & O illustrate the advanced deterioration of the main fuselage.
- Photo G: Looking aft along the tail boom. These holes have possibly been cut at various stages throughout the fuselage to aid with the sinking of the aircraft.
- Photo H: The roof of the main cabin. Support arms to the central panel have disappeared.
- Photo I: The RAF roundel. The roundel can be seen on both sides of the aircraft but are the only markings visible now along with the ‘DANGER’ warnings on the tail.
- Photo J: Open framework and cabling.
- Photo K: Part of the main rotor propulsion unit.
- Photo L: The raised U-shaped structure probably supported part of the main rotor.
- Photo M: View of the fuselage interior.
- Photo N: Exposed cabling is evident, especially from access hatches and control panels.
- Photo O: Interior shot. Note the cabling hanging from the fuselage roof.
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Photo G
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Photo H
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Photo I
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Photo J
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Photo K
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Photo L
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Photo M
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Photo N
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Photo O
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Photo’s P, Q & R: The cockpit.
- Photo P: All the flight instruments have gone as well as both pilots seats. Only immovable fixtures remain. The roof above the pilot’s positions has been completely removed and the window glass is long gone.
- Photo Q: A close up of where the flight instruments were. All that remains are the connector cables and a mass of wiring.
- Photo R: Exterior of the cockpit. Outer panels have gone leaving internal wiring, cables and pipes exposed.
Summary
Ironically, the deterioration of the Wessex makes it an entirely worthwhile dive. The exposure of the controls and wiring in the cockpit gives a rarely seen insight into the complex electronics and mechanics required to fly an aircraft. The loss of the main fuselage doors allows easy access into the interior where the raw framework of the aircrafts structure is clearly evident and the debris field around and behind the aircraft give subtle clues as to how the aircraft got there and what is happening to it as time progresses.
At a depth of 21m, Wessex XT768 is an easily accessible tourist attraction, history lesson and teaching aid. Use it.
Chris Irvine
July 2008